


A Brand New Adventure

by IridescentIsabelle



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon
Genre: Action, Adventure, F/M, Friendship, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-02
Updated: 2017-08-03
Packaged: 2018-12-10 08:58:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 28
Words: 34,136
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11688339
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IridescentIsabelle/pseuds/IridescentIsabelle
Summary: Dominic and Isabelle find themselves in an entirely foreign place in unfamiliar bodies. They've been turned into a Houndoom and a Persian. As long as they stick together, the two should be fine in this entirely new world. (Blue/Red Rescue Team story)





	1. Tiny Woods

In the shadows under the trees, two Pokémon lay sleeping. The Houndoom’s deep breaths rocked the Persian up and down that laid with her head on his torso. The two looked entirely peaceful, but they would not be for long.  
As if bitten, the Houndoom’s eyes shot open and he leapt up to his paws. This caused the Persian to fall and wake up as well, hissing in annoyance. Oddly enough, the Houndoom could not keep his balance on his four paws and fell to the ground with a grunt.  
“What did you do that for?” The Persian asked with her ears flicked back, still sore about being woken in such a way.  
“Where are we?” The Houndoom inquired in a male voice. Persian looked around her, only just realising they were not where they had fallen asleep.  
“Better question: what happened to us?” It seemed she had just realised she was a Persian. Next to her, the Houndoom came to the same conclusion.  
“Izz, you’re a Persian! What am I?”  
“A Houndour? No, a Houndoom. Definitely a Houndoom. What happened? Why do we look like this?”  
After taking a few wobbly steps, the Houndoom pressed his snout against hers.  
“Don’t worry, Izz. We’ll be okay. Come on, let’s get up and explore this place. We’re Pokémon now. Nothing can harm us! I’ll defend you. I should know Flamethrower!” With that, he tried to shoot a mighty Flamethrower like he had seen Fire-types do when he was still a human. However, he didn’t get more than a few sparks. Behind him, Isabelle worked herself up her dainty paws, laughing.  
“You should start with Tackle, Dom,” she said in a teasing manner as she walked past him, stroking the side of his body with her tail. “Come on. Let’s go!”

Together, they walked through the forest. The grass felt delightful under their paws. Like two Pokémon in love, they pounced each other, trying to topple the other over. This effect was increased by the instability in their legs as they grew used to them. Playing and laughing, they increased their skills in running and leaping, trying to dodge the other’s attacks. For a while, they were able to forget their worries, such as how all this happened, and just enjoy themselves while it lasted.  
“Excuse me?” A thin, high-pitched voice asked, distracting Dominic which allowed Isabelle to take him down to the ground. As she sat on top of him purring, she looked at the one who spoke. It was a Butterfree, fluttering above them.  
“Yes? Ah!” The Persian cried out when the Houndoom pushed her off, causing her to fall on her back gracelessly. Dominic, the ruffian, just snickered.  
“You two look really strong, being fully evolved. I need your help. Caterpie is missing! He went into the woods and never came back!”  
“Oh no!” Isabelle said, sitting down in front of the fluttering Butterfree. Dominic soon joined her, rewarded with a feline nuzzle underneath his slightly higher head. “What do you think happened to him?”  
“He probably got scared because of all the Pokémon there. Oh, please, can you look for him and escort him back? He’s only just a baby.”  
Before Dominic could open his mouth about letting a baby out of sight, Isabelle accepted the request: “Don’t worry, ma’am. We’ll go look for Caterpie. We can’t promise anything, though. We’re not familiar with all the corners of the Forest.”

Grudgingly, Houndoom followed the Persian as they headed deeper into the woods, looking for some Caterpie.  
“Why are we doing this?” He asked, sullen as a Fire-type.  
“Because it feels good to do good!” Persian proclaimed, glaring a little at her mate.  
For a while, they wandered the forest, asking any helpful Pidgey whether they had seen a Caterpie. Whichever Pidgey was not being helpful were chased away by Dom. A Wurmple sought to pick a fight with the Persian, but she just pushed it away with a flick of her paw. She didn’t even use her claws for it, not wishing to actually harm them. Behind her, Houndoom had way too much fun chasing a particularly gutsy Pidgey around, leaping and biting at it. Because they’d only been Pokémon for a few hours, he couldn’t leap as high as he should. Their muscles weren’t as strong as they should be, so lots of exercise was imminent.  
Eventually, they found Caterpie. Exeggcute were bullying him, surrounding him with all six eggs. They kept asking him questions till the point they made Caterpie cry.  
“Oi, you.” Dominic growled, changing from the complaining, teasing dog to the protective Houndoom. He looked hot, and it wasn’t just because he was a Fire-type. “Stay away from Caterpie.”  
“Oh? Oh? Oh?” They asked, each egghead repeating the word. “What’s it to you?”  
“We’ve come to pick Caterpie up. So get out!” He roared at them. Two of the eggs flinched, but the others weren’t impressed.  
“If you want him, you gotta battle us for ‘im!”  
Behind Houndoom, Persian unsheathed her claws, getting ready to fight. “You fight, I protect Caterpie,” she told him under her breath. He merely nodded once, tensely. Then the fight started.  
Immediately, Isabelle took a mighty leap and leapt over the Exeggcute, standing over Caterpie. The little, green worm understood what they were doing and he crawled up her left, front paw to hide in her scruff. Meanwhile, Dominic was swiping at the eggs, biting them and flinging them all over the place.  
“If they use a Psychic attack, don’t look!” Persian warned, although Houndoom already knew this. The eggs, however, weren’t a strong opponent. They appeared to be more bark than bite. They stopped moving after they were away in separate directions. Leaving them laying there, Houndoom and Persian broke out in a run. Isabelle ran in a careful manner, trying not to rock too much with her precious burden on her back. Dominic stayed close to her, keeping a watchful eye for any Pokémon that might come near to threaten them. Luckily, no one was foolish enough to try it.  
Within no time, they left the dense area of the forest, heading back to the meadow where they played earlier. The memory made Persian smile. Butterfree was still there, and Caterpie on her back started squealing at the sight of his mother.  
“Oh, you heroes! You found him! My baby! Oh, please, take these. I insist!” She offered the two Pokémon, who secretly were quite out of breath from running in a majestic manner, a Pecha and an Oran berry. “To help you further. Yet again, thank you so much. I’ll tell everyone in town about you.” Just as she was about to flutter away, Caterpie nudged her. “Oh, that’s right. If you need a place to stay, there’s a hut in the outskirts of town that isn’t in use. I’m sure you can stay there.”  
Thanking the Butterfree, the two watched her flutter away. Then Persian gave Houndoom a sly look and ran ahead to where she was told the hut was. It looked rather shabby, but that could just be the influence of the setting sun. Inside, a soft straw bed had been made up in the middle of the room, big enough for two. To test it, Persian leapt onto it and rolled, purring in delight.  
Houndoom entered in a casual manner as if he owned the place, watching his mate roll on her back on the bed.  
“Now, where were we before we were interrupted for heroics?” He said in a low growl as he laid down next to her.   
“I believe we were somewhere around here,” Persian said, nuzzling her muzzle against his. It soon became too dark to see, but the two didn’t need their eyes to see what they're doing. They found out how to sleep together in their new bodies on a straw bed.


	2. Thunderwave Cave

The sun shining through the windows is what woke Persian from her sleep. She was curled up against Houndoom like yesterday morning. Looking down at her paws, she noticed she was still a Pokémon. So yesterday, when the pair had rescued Caterpie from the forest, hadn’t been a dream. Gazing up at Dominic’s sleeping face with affection, she was kind of happy it wasn’t. Being Pokémon with him was terribly exciting. She got off the straw bed and stretched her muscles. Behind her, a pleased growl sounded.  
“Hello kitty!”  
Amused, Persian looked over her shoulder at a lounging Houndoom who gazed upon his mate approvingly. “Good morning to you, too. Were you peeking? Because if you were, I’ll –”  
“Excuse me!” A static-y voice called out, making Isabelle sigh and Dom groan. Things were just about to get exciting.  
“Who is it?” Houndoom asked in a gruff manner. His voice was so growl-like early in the morning.  
“Magnemite! Are you the two who rescued Caterpie?”  
“We are. Give us a moment, we’ll come out soon!” Persian called out, before rubbing her snout against the annoyed Fire-type. “Haven’t you had enough last night?”  
“Not nearly,” he growled back, nipping her ear.  
“Greedy, aren’t you?”  
“Only for you, my gorgeous mate.”  
She grinned at him before sauntering out of the hut, wincing at the actual state of the hut. They’d have to hire some workers to fix this place up if they planned on staying longer. It looked like it was falling apart.   
The bright sunlight blinded Persian for a moment before she was able to see the Magnemite floating next to their mailbox. As she chatted with him about the weather and about Caterpie, Dominic joined her, grumbling and growling. He definitely was not a happy dog in the morning.  
“So, what’s up?” He asked, harsher than he should, causing Isabelle to nudge him with a warning look.  
“I need your help. My brother Magnemite is lost in Thunderwave Cave!”  
“Oh no!” Izzy said. “What do you think happened to him?”

“He went there yesterday, chattering about this gorgeous girl-Magnemite he had met. They would have a date there, you see? But he never came back!” His only eye started tearing up.  
Isabelle laid her paw on Magnemite’s head… body... on him, at least. “Don’t worry. We’ll go look for the Magnemite. Say, if we find him, could you get someone to fix our roof for us, for our effort?”  
“Sure! I’ll do anything if you get my brother back!”

Growling like some annoyed cat, Dominic followed his mate to the entrance of the cave. Persian didn’t pay him much mind. He was just upset he was woken up early. Once they’d get into the cave, defending themselves from Pokémon who thought they were intruders, he’d wake up fully.  
The Thunderwave Cave seemed much bigger than yesterday’s woods had been. The air was charged with electricity, hinting at the many Electric types that lives in these caves. However, in the shallow part of the cave, they merely had to chase away Rattata, Nidoran, and Poochyena. No matter how bravely the Rattata came to Isabelle, as a Persian, she merely had to hiss at them to make them run away frightened. The Poochyena were fiercely territorial and would make loud, echoing barks, but one harsh Bite from Houndoom and they fled, whimpering.  
The two walked through the caves without feeling terribly harassed. It became darker as they went deeper, so Dom trusted on Izzy’s night vision as he practiced an Ember attack, coughing up fireballs. By the time they arrived at the level where the Electric types roamed, Dom could launch a decent Ember attack. It made Izzy a bit jealous that she was merely Normal type. No awesome attacks for her. Just Tackling and Scratching and stuff like that. On the other hand, she could see where she was going and Dominic had to rely on following the soft scent of his companion.  
No matter how grumpy her Houndoom was in the morning, he would always be brave when it mattered. When they encountered a Voltorb that spotted them and got ready to self-destruct, he Head-butted it with his horns, sending it flying into an unfortunate Elekid.  
Occasionally, they would spot a Plusle or a Minun. Isabelle thought they were adorable, but they did cause the most annoying static shocks whenever she touched them, causing her to have to lie down as her body trembled, paralysed from their shocks. When she did so, Dominic would settle at her side, sniffing the air and resting his head against her soothingly. After that, she didn’t find them as cute anymore and vowed to Bite them hard when she saw one of them again, no matter the consequences. At this, Houndoom was merely amused, even rather proud of his determined mate. He seemed to find her antics attractive.  
Of course, the Magnemite had gotten themselves to the deepest part of the cave. Why not stay near the entrance? When the two reached the Magnemite, Isabelle could not contain a surprised shriek of laughter. No matter what they had been doing, but they seemed to have gotten fused together in some sort of half-evolution towards Magneton.  
“You know, Dom, we could just push them back like this. I’m sure his younger brother would love to see what “playing” means to these two.” This caused angry static sounds from the two Magnemite, who were obviously agitated from being stuck in such a degrading position.  
“How evil, my dear Izzy. Let’s free them. I don’t feel like pushing them all the way back. If we free them, they can fly on their own.” Persian agreed with that, and with their teeth, they pulled until they both fell over as the Magnemite separated with a loud ‘pop’.

Back at the hut that was now Dom and Izzy’s, the Magnemite was waiting for them. It began hovering up and down in joy when he saw his brother back.  
“You did it! You found them! Oh, I’m so happy! What had happened?”  
Dominic coughed. “That’s a long story. Maybe for another time. These two probably didn’t sleep all night, and are exhausted and hungry, aren’t you?” The two embarrassed Magnemite nodded quickly.  
“Oh, you guys are heroes. I’ll go make the preparations at once. Tomorrow night, or maybe even tonight, you’ll sleep under a fixed roof!” And with that, the young Magnemite flew away. The male Magnemite that had been saved turned to the two quadruples.  
“Thanks. For rescuing us, and not telling him. That was … humiliating.”  
Dom grinned at him. “Don’t worry about it. Be safe and be careful, next time.”  
“Heh. Yeah, thanks.”

Persian rolled her eyes as she headed back inside, planning on an afternoon nap. It’d been an exciting morning. Houndoom entered as well, still chuckling.  
“They left. That was fun.” He laid down next to her. “So, what’s up with the roof fixing?”  
“Well,” she said as if it were entirely obvious. “I don’t like to be rained on as I sleep, and since you’re a Fire-type, neither do you.” She then rolled over, away from him.  
“Aww, baby, don’t be like that. You’re jealous that I get awesome fire attacks? Don’t be. I don’t want any other than you, and besides, I know how to make you hot.” Such a tacky line made Persian laugh. “No, really. I think you’re amazing. You’re hardly weak to anything. I think you’re special,” he told her in his gruff voice that she had grown to love. Snuggled against each other, they took a nap in the warm, afternoon sun that shone through their windows and the holes in their roof.


	3. Pokemon Square

After their nap, Persian snuck a look out of the window to check whether someone stood in front of their door to demand their time. Unfortunately, there was. A few Geodude hovered in front of their house. Interestingly enough, they had tool boxes and bales of hay with them. After stretching, Isabelle went to meet them outside.  
“Hello. How can I help you?”  
“Good day, miss. We’ve come to fix your roof. Is this Persian and Houndoom’s hut?”  
Persian purred and nodded. “That it is. Be welcome. Would you like us out or around while you work?”  
“We’d prefer out, actually, to prevent accidents. You see, miss, we’re rock solid, so we’ll be okay if something happens, but for your safety, it might be better if you were out.” Houndoom exited the hut as well. Geodude nodded his head at him. “Sir. I just explained to Persian –”  
“I heard what you said. In case you hadn’t noticed, we do not have a door or anything, so voice travels easily.” Dom replied gruffly.  
Persian smiled softly at the two builders. “Don’t mind him. He’s annoyed we’ve been woken early this morning by someone who needed our help.”  
The Geodude had flinched at Houndoom’s growl, but relaxed when Izzy spoke. “Have you been to the Pokémon Square yet? I was told you’re new, so you might not have been there yet. It’s right out here, to the right. Keep on going, over the river. Can’t miss it.”  
“Thanks! We’ll do that. Come on, Dominic.” Persian nudged him into movement and off they went.  
The Pokémon Square was a really neat little place. The stones of the square itself were laid in a tidy manner. If this was done by the same Geodude who were now fixing their place, then Izzy had all faith that their building improvements would go well.  
There was an adorable little shop managed by Kecleon, one of which was a fabulous shade of purple. A Wigglytuff was promoting her friendship club. A Kangaskhan had a storage service. Ahead, on a hill, many Pelliper flew out, delivering letters. They had a neat building, shaped like a Pelliper’s beak.  
As Dominic headed off to talk to the Makuhita in front of his Dojo, Isabelle approached the regal Persian who held the bank. At first, he didn’t look at her. She looked rather scruffy from not having groomed herself since coming back from the Thundershock Rock or whatever that place was called, but then he noticed she was one of his kind.  
“Well, hello therrrre. Look at you, gorrrgeous.” He purred at her.  
“H-hello,” Isabelle replied, instantly shy. He looked more beautiful than she did; his fur was perfect, his whiskers of equal length, and his paws well-maintained. There was something about him that made her really bashful.  
“You’re the first Persian I’ve seen here besides myself. If you’d like, I can show you my place tonight. I’ve got some excellent fish that I’m sure you’ll like.”  
“Touch her with one paw and I’ll kill you,” a growl came from behind Izzy, causing her to jump in surprise. A furious Houndoom came stalking close. He rose onto his hind legs and placed his paws on the counter of the bank. “She’s mine, furball. Back off.”  
The Persian pulled up his nose in distaste at the rough-looking dog. “Really?” He asked Izzy, totally ignoring the flaming male in front of him. “You’re with that? I can smell you all over him. How low you’ve fallen. No wonder you look so shaggy. He couldn’t even groom a Slowpoke.”  
Dom snarled at the Persian. Since they were making quite a scene, Izzy gently yanked on his tail with her teeth, pulling him off the counter. “Come on, Dom. It’s not worth it.” She pushed him away, back to their hut.  
“When you’re done playing around with that doggie, come see me, gorgeous. I’ll show you how it’s really done! You’ll never want to go back.” The banker Persian called out, causing Houndoom to roar in anger. Many of the Pokémon on the square flinched in fear, but Izzy kept pushing her mate away to prevent a fight and to have him cool his anger.

Once they were away from the outskirts of the town, Dom's anger was replaced with sulky, simmering annoyance. He was not at all impressed with the Persian from town, who he called an over-preened, treacherous little slimeball. Izzy calmed him by pressing into his side.  
“Tell me about what you saw, darling.” She cooed, placatingly. It took the edge off his irritation and he glanced across at her, keeping his apparent jealous rage in check.  
“I went down to a Dojo on the edge of town. It’s a little way along a path, which is why I took a little while getting back to you. It’s run by a Makuhita, he says that beneath the building there’s mazes. Perhaps, we can go there sometime.”  
Dominic had still been struggling to launch his flamethrower, after all, but he grinned wickedly at his partner. “You know, in case you want to learn how to use Swift or something.”  
Izzy nipped him at his haunches, then pounced him, knocking him clear from the path to where they landed in a small, shallow ditch. She was atop him, which he did not mind nearly as much as her aggression might have implied.


	4. Mt Steel Part 1

The following morning, Persian awoke to the sensation of the ground rumbling. Her entire body was sore from last night. Houndoom had been too worked up to sleep, so they had returned to the woods where they rescued Caterpie and ran next to each other for hours. It had gone dark but that hadn’t stopped the two. Persian had night sight and Houndoom was fuming fire. No matter how much her muscles were burning, Izzy did not stop running. She was loyal like that. As a result, though, everything hurt this morning.  
Sitting in the arch that acted as a door frame, Persian watched the Dugtrio in front of their house, pacing back and forth. After his fourth time passing her, she decided to speak up.  
“Can I help you?”  
She decided to keep her voice low, to allow Houndoom to sleep more. The poor guy looked like he needed it. He was entirely out cold, snoring so hard he scorched the hay a little.  
The Dugtrio saw the sleeping Houndoom as well and rightfully thought it was a bad idea to wake him up.  
“I need your help. Diglett is kidnapped. A Skarmory just flew by and grabbed him and flew all the way to the top of Mt Steel!” One of his smaller heads got tears in his eyes.  
“Don’t worry. We’ll go look for Diglett. If we succeed, could you and your kin plough our garden for us?” Persian referred to the barren, rock littered dirt that surrounded their hut. “I’d like to make this place look better. More like home.”  
“Consider it done. As soon as Diglett is back, I’ll bring everyone over and we’ll have your garden ploughed in no time,” said the tallest head of Dugtrio.  
Isabelle nodded. “All right. We’ll leave in an hour. Mt Steel seems pretty big so it might take us most of the day. I’ll go into town and stock up on food.”  
Leaving a note with a paw print on it for Houndoom, she left to walk the small distance into town.

In town, Isabelle first went to the Kecleon shop. There, she purchased some apples and berries with the money she’d found in the Thundershock Rock or what that place might have been called. With a pouch considerably filled, she headed over to the Pelliper Post office to check the job offer board. While they’re going to Mt Steel, might check if someone else needed anything there, too. As she walked past, she felt the banker’s eyes on her. She realised she must look poorly. After Dominic’s anger from last night, here she was, walking with some difficulty because she was so sore. Still, she held her head up, totally ignoring him.  
At the board, a Pidgey hung up a notice. As she came close, the bird flinched a little but Izzy pretended not to notice as she read the notice. Pidgey apparently needed someone to bring some sort of gummy to Spearow in the lower levels of Mt Steel.  
“Hey. Would you like me to do that for you? I’m going there anyway,” she said in her kindest voice possible.  
“Y-You would? T-that would be most kind, miss,” the bird tweeted.  
“Please, don’t be scared. I’m not going to eat you. I had an apple for breakfast.”  
The Pidgey gave her a tiny smile and handed her a little box with the gummi and a note for Spearow.  
“Thank you. I’ll come and find you here tomorrow morning with the reply?” The bird nodded. “All right. See you then!” Then Persian headed home again, yet again not looking at Persian, who meowed at her.

Dominic was delighted at having all that bed to himself. That wasn't to say it was better than with his Persian in it. It wasn't. That said when he was alone there was nobody to pull at his ear, trying to get him to wake up. It was a warming thought. He let his eyes drift closed, stretching out into a long, limp, black mass. Half sleeping, he didn't hear the scuffle of paws at the doorstep or smell the approaching Pokémon. The Pokémon approached, and started snuffling curiously around Dominic's bed, which caused the Houndoom to go from unaware of the outsider to hyper aware of it, all in a single heartbeat. He spun around, finding his feet quickly and dropping his front forward into a low, snarling stance.  
His eyes alighted not upon a vicious, vile assailant. In fact, if Dominic had pounced, he'd likely have soared straight over the small, very young Poochyena that stood looking at Houndoom with wide eyes. It looked back at Dominic for a moment, then dropped into a perfect mirror position and started to growl. Dominic bit back a laugh at the high pitched little noise and straightened up, but the pup was having none of it. He launched himself, swiping against Dominic's forepaw and trying to bite it. The little one's mouth barely worked yet, and Dominic stepped aside once, then twice, to send the pup sprawling.  
Dominic tired of the game soon and, after checking whether his partner was not around to chastise him, he knocked the Poochyena with his muzzle. The smaller Pokémon sprawled onto his back, where he was easily pinned with even the laziest of efforts.  
"Who are you? Are you someone else looking for help? It's really my partner that deals with that sort of thing." He permitted himself a brief, wicked grin that was all fangs outlined with the fire that bubbled deep in his throat. "Better people-skills."  
"Yes! I mean... No! Well, yes, but not like you did for that Magnemite!" He was struggling and straining to get up. Dominic had to admire his energy but he wasn't going anywhere just yet. Poochyena dropped back and flopped, his paws up alongside his head, looking pitiful. "I wanna join you! I want to be as big and fierce as you are!"  
Dominic arched an eyebrow. He let up his paw and moved to lay back down in his familiar spot, head propped so that he could both see the Poochyena and revel in the scent of his feline love. "As fierce as me, hmm? Takes a lot of hard work to get there! How did you find us, anyway?"  
"Well, uhm, first I saw you in the caves and then I tried to follow you but, uh, you're really really fast. So I was lost in the forest for a bit but then, last night, I saw you and, uhm, the Persian lady, running around. I managed to follow you back but it took ages and ages. I was gonna come a little bit ago but uhm..." The Poochyena, who'd been speaking with the speed and enthusiasm only youth enabled, fell suddenly quiet and started to twist a forepaw into the ground. "Well... The Persian lady makes me a bit nervous, kinda."  
Dominic let out a loud peal of laughter that lingered as a grin. "Does she now? Maybe you've more sense than you look. Let's wait until the Persian lady is back and see what she says. As long as you're careful, I don't see why you can't come along with us."

Persian returned to find Dominic talking to the tiniest Poochyena she had ever seen. She waited in the doorframe until either of them noticed her. It was her Houndoom who first spotted her. He stood up from the bed to nuzzle her face affectionately.  
“So, who’s this?”  
The Poochyena squeaked in fear but was shoved forward by Houndoom.  
“I-I’m Poochyena! I... I … I’d like to join you guys.” From the amused expression on Dom’s face, he acted much differently when she wasn’t here.  
“Do you now? Why?”  
“When I’m a Mightyena, I want to be as fierce as Houndoom is, ma’am…”  
Only Houndoom knew she had a soft spot for young Pokémon and would never reject one.  
“All right,” Persian said, faking a sigh. “But don’t get in our way. Dominic, you’re in charge of his training.” Barking her orders, she turned her tail and set out, towards Mt Steel.


	5. Mt Steel: Part 2

The expanded team headed into the cave opening that would allow them access into Mt Steel. Persian lead the team with Houndoom and Poochyena behind her. The excited yipping of the puppy was starting to get a bit on her nerves, and they were only on the first floor.   
Dominic was having a hard time moving around the mountain caves, because wherever he tried to put a paw, there was a Poochyena beneath it. The pup somehow always managed to get out before Dom stumbled - and before Poochyena got flattened! - but there were more than a few near misses.   
This continued until, after Dom almost stumbled yet again, he dug his teeth into the scruff of Poochyena’s neck and tossed him forward. This made Persian smile, knowing that the little thing didn’t get on her nerves only. Dominic growled at Poochyena, who promptly went from bounding around and getting in the way, to cowering and whimpering softly, remembering the Bite he’d gotten when they first met.  
“We brought you to help, little pup. You don’t grow up big and strong without making yourself useful.” Poochyena watched closely, then shifted his paws together to stand up as tall as his little body allowed. He still didn’t reach their shoulders, though. Poochyena growled and grumbled a little petulantly, but he did walk a little more properly after that. Dominic strutted past Persian with a proud little grin.  
While the two talked, Isabelle looked around for the Spearow she was supposed to deliver something to. The description the female Pidgey had given wasn’t very useful; he was supposed to be the handsomest of all Spearow. He could be anywhere on the first four floors, so they continued upwards. When Poochyena ran a bit ahead, barking at a Spearow, though not the one Izzy was after, Izzy spoke softly to Dom.  
“Are you sure you know what you’re doing? I’d hate to see the cub killed.”   
“Killed? He’ll be fine, nothing down here will do that much before I can get my jaws around it.” The little flash of a grin was equal parts wicked and playful. Izzy had to suppose he was really starting to like being a Houndoom.  
His attention shifted to the little Poochyena, yapping at Spearow. He strolled past Izzy and used his nose to push Poochyena forward. Now that he was closer to the Spearow his yaps grew quiet and now that Dominic was backing up the Spearow grew bold. “Go on, Pup. You can handle an itty bitty Spearow.”   
Poochyena looked around at Dominic and, steadied by the sight of him, turned back. He dropped his lower half forward and let out a soft, pathetic growl. Dominic sat down lazily but with his eyes keen on Poochyena, ready to instruct him through his very first, wild battle.   
Spotting the Spearow she needed to deliver the package to, she had mumbled a quick ‘be right back’ before dashing after the bird. “Excuse me! Hello? Excuse me!”   
It seemed a pretty gutsy Spearow because unlike the others around, it did not flee when the taller feline came running.   
“Yes?” He asked rudely, puffing out his chest.   
“I’ve got a delivery for you, from Pidgey.”   
His entire demeanour changed. He looked strangely hopeful. “From Pidgey? What’s in it? Give it to me!” He demanded.   
“Calm down, I’m getting it.” Isabelle missed her human hands at a time like this. It was rather hard to retrieve a package from her pouch without thumbs. Eventually, she got it though. A neatly tied box with a letter attached to it. “I’m meeting Pidgey tomorrow morning at the job offer board near Pelliper’s mail office. Can you meet me there, too?”   
“Sure, sure,” Spearow said, not even listening anymore. Isabelle nodded and walked away again, back to Dom and that Poochy, just in time to see his first battle. She joined her mate by laying down next to him, as unconcerned as a cat could be.   
Dominic turned to Persian and gave her an affectionate, if slightly wet lick along her cheek, well aware that she’d find it equal parts distasteful and endearing. As expected, he received a half frown from his feline. “Come to watch the show?” he asked in a low voice, before turning toward Poochyena. “Don’t get fancy, Pup! Just wait for him to stop moving a moment, then Tackle him!”   
Poochyena had been circling the Spearow, like he’d seen Mightyena do when stalking prey. The Flying-type didn’t seem terribly experienced either, because it fluttered around, circling the Poochyena with neither of them ready to attack. From time to time, it landed and paused a moment, screeching aggressively. It was during one such pause that Poochyena surged forward, pouncing and twisting to put his shoulder first to do a Tackle, which he’d learned from watching both of his mentors.   
Spearow hopped up and over the hapless hound with a little flutter of wings, then swooped back down to peck Poochyena’s back. The young Pokémon squealed and ran as though toward Dominic, who canted an eyebrow and shook his head. Poochyena turned back around. “Come on, Pup,” spoke the older canine. “You did well. Just a little faster. Save the burst of speed for when you’re almost there; take it by surprise.” Persian had quite an impressed look on her face, both surprised and impressed by Dominic’s change in demeanour. She was really liking it.   
The very next time Spearow landed, if only for a heartbeat, Poochyena darted into action. He bounded forward a couple of steps and then, all at once, leapt at the Spearow with his shoulder first. The Spearow fluttered and rose a little again, but this time it was too slow. Poochyena knocked him down and they landed in a tangle of feathers and puppy. “Nice!” came Dominic’s proud yell, causing Poochyena to turn around for a proud moment, which let Spearow get away. Dominic chuckled, rose slowly to all fours, and padded toward his protégé.   
“Not bad, not bad at all.”   
“You mean it? You really mean it? I did like you said, started slow, then bam! Fast as I could! And I hit it, and it couldn’t fly! Well I mean, it did after I stopped, but I could’ve gone again if I needed to!” The little Poochyena had found all of his energy, bounding around Dominic and, to a lesser extent, Persian happily. Dom rolled his eyes at Izzy and the two shared a little grin.

“Not bad, cub,” Persian said, purring calmly as if this was nothing to be impressed of. Can’t let the cub get a bigger head than he already had. Then she gave Houndoom an affectionate rub with her head before climbing up another level of the mountain, gracefully like the cat she is.


	6. Mt Steel: Part 3

The trio continued up the mountain, following narrow, naturally formed ramps up sometimes, and more purposely cut stairs at others. They’d been there for several hours now and gone up what felt like thousands of stairs; Poochyena had taken to riding on Dominic’s back some of the way to spare his much shorter legs.  
“You want up, too?” he’d offered Persian, but the feline only rolled her eyes and did not smile until she’d turned her head away from him.  
Their progress was impeded by the denizens of the mountain, who were eager to waylay them. Zigzagoon and Spearow were the worst. They were so plentiful that they were constantly sweeping in to try and attacking them, or at least steal from Persian’s pouch of food. Dominic would breathe embers toward them till his chest hurt and Persian would take sweeps with her clawed paws. Even Poochyena hopped down once or twice to bark away the odd opponent!

They stopped for a break after a couple of hours. They’d found a small chamber out of the way, with just two entrances and wreathed in deep enough shadow that it seemed unlikely they’d be disturbed. Poochyena immediately regained all of his strength and began running from one entrance to another, sniffing each time and peering into the shadow. Dominic used his teeth to pluck the bag from Persian and lay it out so that they could take apples from within. Persian, after dragging her apple over to herself, laid down on the floor. Unlike her canine mate, she had less stamina. Her toe beans hurt from the rocky floor of the caverns. To rest a little, she laid down on her side, stretched out, daydreaming about their wonderfully soft bed at home. Poochyena once made the mistake of leaping on top of her, earning him a fierce snarl that made the puppy whimper and hide. When tired, the Classy Cat Pokémon turned rather grumpy.  
Their respite was brief but much needed. Dominic felt the discomfort in his chest recede, Poochyena was ready to walk alongside them again, and Izzy was in higher spirits with some food in her. They were just about packing when, from not far above, they heard a vicious, screeching caw. Poochyena froze solid and cowered back in fear while the two older individuals exchanged worried glances.  
“Do you want to stay here, Poochyena?” offered Izzy, thoughtfully. The small Pokémon certainly looked like he did, but he bravely shook his head.  
“No! I’m going with you guys!” demanded the small Poochy smartly, stamping his paw into the hard rock. Dominic smiled toward his mate.  
“Let him come; it’ll be okay.” Izzy looked slightly unconvinced, but shrugged a shoulder and nodded uncertainly. “Thank you. Now, come on, I bet whoever made that noise is what’s keeping Diglett trapped.”  
They padded quietly. The call seemed to have sent a lot of the smaller Pokémon into hiding. There was scant little resistance. Without much delay, they found the stairs and ascended.  
This final floor was clearly at or near the top of the mountain. It was cold, and the walls tapered inward at the top where they closed toward the pinnacle of the mountain. A breeze blew in from some crevasse ahead, flurrying around and adding to the chill. Poochyena shivered but followed, dutifully. All three of them were as quiet as they could be.  
On a ledge on the other side of a chasm was Diglett. The little guy was barely visible above the ground, hiding in the hole he’d dug for himself. The poor guy even seemed to be shivering but be it from cold or fear, it was unknown.  
In front of the Diglett stood a massive bird. His metallic feathers shone in the dying lights of twilight. Not only did it look magnificent, it also looked very, very angry.  
Skarmory screeched and, now that they were in the same room as it, the noise was ear-splitting. Poochyena yapped pointlessly into the noise and pranced backward as if he could run away from it. Dominic winced then snarled in anger, and Persian hung her head low to weather it, gracefully. Their opponent beat its enormous wings and came swooping toward them.  
Poochyena leapt up and dragged his claws through the air, a long way short. Fortunately, Persian pounced it as it passed. Her claws raked across the metal, and though they did little damage, the weight of her swipe sent the bird tumbling out of its flight and caused it to crash down onto the stone with a horrible, grating sound.  
“Move!” came the bellow from Dom, before he roared thick, smoky flames across the Steel-type’s form. It screeched again; this time in anguish.  
“That’s working!” Persian called. Skarmory, though, batted a wing to knock the Ember attack aside. He was hurt, but it made him angry. It swung its head around until its beady, black eyes narrowed on Poochyena.  
This time, when it attacked, it attacked hard. Its beak came slapping down, cracking the rock where Poochyena had been standing a moment before. In a heartbeat, it was doing it again, then again, swiping with everything it had at the small canine. Poochyena was hopping aside on instinct, squealing and terrified.  
Both of the others were stricken with fear for their young companion. They acted in the same moment, Izzy launching herself onto Skarmory’s back and pinning him down. Dominic surged forward, put his head over the fallen bird’s, and let out all of the Ember flames he could manage.  
Skarmory squealed and beat with all its strength, finally dislodging Izzy. She fell off and landed heavily on the ground, scraping herself on the rough rock. The bird staggered backward, wild-eyed and terrified, then took a loping step toward the crack in the mountain; toward the cold air without. It beat its wings once, twice, and then it was launching itself into the air and away.  
Now that Skarmory was defeated, Diglett could safely return home to Dugtrio. Persian had offered to take it down, but it refused, not wishing to come out of the ground.  
The way down took less time. The Pokémon of Mt Steel had heard the battle and now feared (or admired) the team that rushed down the mountain, eager to get out of this cold, gloomy place. Pains were forgotten, exhaustion had fled, now that it was finally time to go home.  
By the time they came to their hut, they had the sorest paws they ever had in their entire life. Poochyena laid asleep on Persian’s back since she was a much steadier walker than Houndoom was.  
Dominic remained outside with Dugtrio and Diglett. “Thank you,” chimed the triple set. “For returning our friend safe and sound. We will do as we promised, tomorrow. We’ll give you the best garden around.”  
Dominic smiled, albeit a little faintly. He was exhausted. “That he’s safe is all we need. Just… Don’t come too early.”  
While Dominic talked, Isabelle went inside to gently lay Poochy down on their pillow, to let the little guy sleep. Despite his hyperactivity, he was rather adorable. However, her wounds and exhaustion caught up with her. She sank through her trembling paws and laid on her side on the pillow, curled up around Poochy, with her injured side facing up. Blood marred her golden fur, having clotted and tangled in the fine hairs. Dominic soon joined the back of the group, his forepaw lazing over Izzy, and all three were soon fast asleep.


	7. Energetic Forest

The morning following that intense day at Mt Steel, Persian had trouble getting out of their bed. The scrapes on her side stung heavily and her legs were cramped. The pads on her feet were cracked in some places, from walking on the rough stone all day. All in all, she felt miserable. Dominic, unusually, woke up at the stirring of his mate and looked across at her with one half-opened eye. He growled a faint noise that only she could translate: it was his way of checking whether she was well. Poochyena, curled up in front of her, was still asleep, entirely knocked out from so much excitement. Persian lifted her head at the sound and gave his chin a gentle lick. She was as stubborn as a cat and declared she was fine. Dominic seemed unconvinced but, after passing his gaze across her appraisingly, he drooped his head and tried to doze on.   
Persian, however, got up from bed. It was clear that, even if the entire world started burning around her, she would not do another quest today. Snarling under her breath, she walked slowly out of the hut to eat something. Poochyena, missing Persian’s warmth, climbed on Houndoom’s chest and sleep asleep there, with little twitching paws as he dreamt he chased something.  
After eating, Isabelle made her way over to the job offer board. She was going to meet Pidgey and Spearow quickly, take their reward, and head back home. That was today’s plan.   
The meeting was done soon enough. A cat in pain was not a patient one, and soon enough, Isabelle walked away with her coin pouch decently filled. However, the Banker Persian stopped her on her way home.  
“What happened to you?” He asked, seemingly worried but Izzy didn’t buy it.  
“Some of us need to work for a living. Now let me pass.” She hissed at him, laying her ears in her neck. Banker Persian growled at her.   
“You’re hurt! Let me get Chansey.”   
“I do not need Chansey. Let me through!”   
“No!”   
“Now, now, Persy. That’s no way to talk to a lady.” A high, mocking voice sounded from behind the two. Banker Persian ducked his head, snarling, and Isabelle looked toward where the sound had come from.  
The daintiest of cats had approached the two of them and currently sat on the counter of the Bank. She was licking her paws to clean the imaginary filth off them. It was a Delcatty and next to her sat one of the biggest Arcanine Izzy had ever seen.  
Banker Persian groaned. “Della. Keep your dainty nose out of this.”   
Arcanine growled. “Don’t talk to her like that.” The Persian flinched and backed off a little.  
“Come, lady Persian. You look like you had a rough time. Please, join us. We’ve got some fish we’d like to share. You’re new here, right?” Delcatty said.  
Like that, Isabelle found herself walking next to the elegant Delcatty, with Arcanine looming silently behind them.   
“So, you and Arcanine...?”   
“Oh, we’re mates. I know that look. Quite a size difference. I’m smaller than you and he’s much taller than both of us. But he’s the gentlest canine I’ve ever met, unlike that nasty Persian -- no offence -- who runs the bank. He and I used to be together, you see? He also lives nearby our hut. But he’s all hiss and bite, and has no idea how to treat a lady. Arcanine obviously does, and pfew, such stamina.”   
Persian chuckled, grinning at Delcatty. Behind them, Arcanine gave a deep-throated chuckle, as well.   
“How about you, lady Persian?” Arcanine asked.  
“Me? I’m here with a Houndoom, called Dominic. I’m Isabelle, by the way. Dom sure keeps me busy, that’s for sure. He has taken a Poochyena under his wing … ehm … paw? Protection, at least, and is now training the little cub. He’s barely old enough to be away from his mother, though.” She would not tell them that they have been humans, just yet  
Della, the Delcatty, smiled wistfully. Isabelle had a feeling she’d like a cub of her own.   
Delcatty and Arcanine’s hut was in a place called the Energetic Forest, somewhere in the Eastern Forest. Three other neighbourhoods were around, but there was no time to check them out. This part of the forest was wonderfully pretty. The light shining through the trees’ leaves gave this place a surreal look. All over the place, huts had been built. There was a really majestic looking hut where the Banker Persian lived. Nearby was a smallish hut with a ragged-looking female Persian and at least six Meowth. There were Stantler, Pikachu and Pichu, Skitty and Delcatty, and Mankey, Primeape, and Aipom.   
“Persian really like it here. All the Persian around live here.” Delcatty told her as Isabelle was greeted by the load of Meowth, who rubbed their little heads against Izzy’s legs.   
Arcanine and Delcatty’s hut was bigger than her own, but Arcanine was a huge Pokémon, so that worked. It was tastefully decorated with paw-print paintings, a massive bed that looked really comfortable, and even a table. They clearly have been living here longer than Isabelle has.   
\------------------------------  
Dominic finally woke for real when Poochyena did. The small dog woke slowly at first, but after a moment it was like he realised he’d missed half the day. He sprung to his feet and ran toward the middle of the hut; Dominic, who’d served as his launching pad, growled grumpily.   
“Don’t run off,” he warned Poochyena, but the small black hound grinned at him and did just that. Dominic permitted himself another grumble before rolling up and finding his feet. He loped outside to find Poochyena’s bravery had taken almost halfway to the road, where he was standing and peering at Dom and Izzy’s gate, wondering if crossing it might somehow mean he could never get home.  
“How do you have so much energy, Pooch?”  
“What? Because it’s a quest day! I’ve gotta have energy for helping people and growing up big! Where we going today, huh? Do we have to wait for Miss Persian?”   
While Dominic was a little better off than Izzy, he was sore and tired still. His muscles felt leaden and the fire in his belly, an ever-present warm feeling, was decidedly calm. A simmer, rather than the roaring tempest it had been when Skarmory was threatening his beloved. He didn’t really care for a job, but at the same time he didn’t really care for dealing with a Poochyena bounding around like a Magnemite pumped up on electricity overcharge.   
“Miss Persian,” he copied Poochyena’s name for her, since it seemed oddly fitting, “is already out and about her business. And I’m tired! Tell you what: I’ll come and watch, but you’re the only one doing a quest today. You can use the money to pay for all the food you’ve been eating.”   
Poochyena grinned wickedly. His tiny head bobbed enthusiastically, and the pair were off to Pelipper’s Post Office. Dominic talked his overeager companion down from scaling another, even more treacherous mountain to investigate unknown shrieks from the summit. Instead they were to deliver an apple to a Sunkern in Tiny Woods, who’d forgotten to pack enough food for his trip.  
To Poochyena, this was like a quest for the Holy Grail. “I’m gonna do it so well! I’ll be in and out in no time, and I’ll fend off all the wild Pokémon! Do you think there’ll be a Houndoom there? Or maybe a Raichu! Or another Skarmory! I could take one now, don’t you think, Dominic?” and on, and on, he boasted all the way to the woods. Dominic padded alongside his companion, smiling to himself.  
At the beginning of their trip to Tiny Woods, the pair went together. The result was several Pidgey and Wurmple seen from the back, as they scampered away. Poochyena growled and roared at them bravely, but it was hardly necessary. So, after a while, Dominic sat down. Poochyena took a couple of steps forward, before his head snapped around to find out where the protective shadow had gone.  
“No no, this is on you, Pup! If I hear you call I’ll come, I’m not far away, but if I walk with you then nothing will even come near! Understand?” Poochyena’s eyes were wide and frightened at the idea, but he drew his lips back, snarled, and nodded certainly.   
“Yeah! I’ll be back soon,” he promised, before charging ahead in his familiar, bounding run. Dominic followed behind at his own leisurely pace, keeping an eye out without interfering. He needn’t have worried; Poochyena was learning fast. His tackles were already strong, landing as hard as a small canine could easily manage. Once he grows up, they’d be fierce indeed, and already they were enough to push away the Pidgey eager to get at his apple delivery. The young pup even smelled out Sunkern himself, finding the Grass-type drinking dew from the underside of large ferns.   
“Hey! Hey you!” Poochyena said as he came scampering forward. “I brought you an apple! Here!” He reached around and pulled it out of the pouch affixed to his side, then made the mistake of trying to talk with it clamped between his teeth. “Ith’s a really gphood affle!”   
Sunkern beamed brightly and rushed forward. “Oh my! Thank you so much, brave Poochyena, it’s perfect! I’ll tell all my friends about you.”   
Isabelle met up with the two males of her household at the Kecleon Shop. She was using the money she’d gotten from her Gummi quest in Mt Steel to purchase a better bed. She wanted an actual pillow, instead of that straw nest they were laying on right now.   
With a lot of noise, Houndoom and Poochyena came walking from the quest board. Poochyena was leaping in joy, holding a tiny bag of coins in his maw, while Houndoom walked behind him, protecting Poochy from theft and looking amused at the same time. When they met up with Persian, Houndoom rubbed his head against hers when they met up.   
“Hey you. You’re looking far easier on your feet. How do you feel?” A day of absence had made Dominic particularly affectionate, and beyond simply rubbing his head to hers, he nipped her neck and ultimately ended up standing against her, his body inviting hers to lean into it.   
Meanwhile, Poochy was picking out a pillow for his own. He eventually chose one after hesitating between Ember Red or Houndoom Black. His choice was neither. He went for Mightyena Grey after ‘Miss Persian’ pointed her paw at it and whispering it reminded her of the Mightyena he’ll one day be.   
As Poochy proudly dragged his pillow home, Houndoom carried their new one in, while Persian pulled their old one out of their hut. Chansey would send someone to pick it up in the morning, for the orphan cubs under her care.   
Dominic slipped inside and moved across to stand near the new pillow. His eyes slid across to Persian, and he grinned narrowly. “I don’t suppose we can make Pooch sleep outside yet, hm?”


	8. Sinister Woods 1

“Excuse me? Anyone home?” A very tiny voice called out. Houndoom woke from it, growling in a most annoyed manner. Poochyena, ready for battle, leapt off his grey pillow and dashed outside, squeak-barking to whoever had woken them. To soothe the growling, Persian gently licked Houndoom’s snout, shushing him.   
Poochyena came back inside. “It’s just a Caterpie. I scared it away, though.”  
Giving Poochy a stern look, Isabelle headed outside to find the Caterpie while Dominic padded over, dutiful despite his weariness. He used one large paw to swat Poochyena’s nose, causing the smaller canine to downturn his eyes.  
“What? What’d I do? You taught me to Growl!”   
“I know I did, Pup, but there’s more to it than scaring everyone away. Sometimes, even Mightyena have to be friendly. Caterpie probably just wanted to talk - maybe even required help.”  
“You think… You think it was a quest?!” Poochyena looked up, his punishment forgotten and excitement burning in his eyes. Dominic sighed deeply and tried, without much success, not to grin at his protégé.   
“Maybe. Let’s go and see. But, this time, no growling.”   
Isabelle found Caterpie hiding in the shrubs of her garden, which have been dug and planted by Dugtrio and some Diglett. “Hey there. I remember you. You’re Butterfree’s son, aren’t you? The one we rescued from some Exeggcute in the Tiny Woods, right?” Trembling in fear, Caterpie emerged from the leaves. “Please excuse Poochyena. We’ve taken him in to train him, but I fear he’s rather excitable. He did not know any better.” To look less terrifying, Persian laid down in the dirt to be more on Caterpie’s height. “How can we help you?”   
“It’s Metapod, my brother! He hasn’t returned from the Sinister Woods. Mommy told him not to go, but he did not listen. Please, can you get him? I’m afraid he’s stuck or lost. Oh! What if he’s been attacked? Oh, poor Metapod. Please, lady Persian, please rescue him.” The Caterpie sounded close to tears.  
Kindly, Persian laid her paw on Caterpie’s head, lightly. “Don’t worry, little one, we’ll go.”   
“Not if we’re first!” A nasty voice sneered. The two were not alone.   
A trio of Pokémon - an Ekans, a Gengar and a Medicham - had been out walking through the woods. Gengar took the lead, sidling with a lumbering gait and a broad, gleaming smirk on his face. His mean eyes scanned the area around where they walked. Once or twice, they’d alight on a Sentret or Pidgey. Whenever they did, he’d use Scary Face at them, sending them skittering away and leaving the forest quiet. Ekans slithered to his right and slightly back. This Ekans was long, had dappled skin, and hissed lowly even while they moved. Finally, there was Medicham, walking on Gengar’s left. Of the three, this was the only Pokémon that seemed serene, but it was deceptive; once a Spearow had, in a panic, fled from Gengar’s Scary Face right over Medicham. The Fighting-Type had whipped his hand out in a heartbeat, sending the fleeing, fluttering bird spinning to one side, where it had hit a tree. All three had laughed.  
Now they were there, not thirty meters from Izzy and Caterpie. Dom and Poochyena were just exiting the hut at the sound of that voice. “Can I growl at these ones?” Poochyena whispered up toward Dominic, who nodded with narrowed, dangerous eyes. Both canines started to do so, threateningly. Gengar had one hand held up, urging them all to silence - other than Ekans’ barely audible hissing. They were listening, carefully picking up on every little word.  
“So, your pathetic brother needs some help? All right,” Gengar grinned. “We’ll get him out. But in return, you, little worm, have to join our team: Team Meanies. Also, we’ll make your mother pay a huge sum to cover the expenses of the rescue. It’s tough work, rescuing those whimpering Pokémon every day.”   
“You can’t! That’s entirely unfair!” Isabelle told him, raising up to her paws.   
“Oh really, pussycat? And who’s going to stop us? You and your pathetic little group?” Gengar sneered, looking down upon the growling cub, fully ignoring Houndoom. “Ha! Don’t make me laugh.” And laugh they did, as they headed off, probably towards Sinister Woods. Houndoom had his hackles raised and his lip curled up; few Pokémon would laugh in the face of him when he was being defensive over his pack. He dashed across after them and let out a deep, thundering bark toward their back. Even Poochyena flinched, but it didn’t affect Gengar and company’s retreating backs.  
“Please, Lady Persian. Please, rescue Metapod first. I don’t want to join them.” Caterpie looked ready to pass out in fear at the idea alone.   
“Don’t worry, little guy. We’ll be there first. We’re faster than those purple … meanies.” She’d had another word in mind, but it was better not to use it in front of Caterpie and Poochyena. Dominic padded back, his eyes still burning.  
“Yes, we will. Persian, will you fill us in on the way? Pooch, get some apples, please. We’re going, now.”


	9. Sinister Woods 2

Unlike Tiny Woods, Sinister Woods were not pleasant at all. The trees stood much closer together and their leaves created such a thick layer that sun could barely pierce through. The entire place had a very gloomy feel to it. In the perpetual darkness, Oddish walked around cheerfully, fully believing it’s night. There were Hoothoot hooting in the trees, making Poochyena jump, startled, the first time he heard it. Persian had smiled but her own fur had risen as well in her alarm.   
In their haste, they had not been able to check whether someone else needed something done around here, which made Persian a bit grumpy because of the inefficiency. They could just as easily have done a little job on their way to where Metapod was.  
Because Metapod would probably not answer them, they kept their eyes out for Team Meanies. Despite having met only three of their members, that did not mean there weren’t any more of them.   
Ahead the path that they were following seemed to widen up. For the first time in a while they could see real, genuine rays of sunlight falling from above, illuminating the grassy, mossy undergrowth. The promise of a clear view up to the sky was irresistible enough that all three of them found a new surge of strength to trot forward.  
The light came into a large open glade. While the woods around the perimeter were as dark and ominous as most of this accursed wood, the opening itself was pleasantly sunlit with thick undergrowth. However, their attentions were stolen by two things.   
In the centre of the opening there was a young tree. It had dark, almost black bark and few leaves of a deep green shade. The trunk split into two halfway up forming a tight V, before twining around itself like some confused knot. In a small gap between the two halves of the trunk sat Metapod, crying out softly. He was wedged deeply in place and though he strained and wriggled, couldn’t seem to free himself.   
This would have been the team’s first stop if not for the other thing that caught their attention because, between the trio and the trapped Metapod, were the Meanies. Gengar’s head canted to one side and he stopped teasing the Bug-Type long enough to turn around. His head rotated further than it ought before his body turned, too.   
“Oh look, the small fry turned up. You’re too late, Metapod is ours now. We were just telling him the same.” Ekans hissed in amusement; they’d been telling poor Metapod what was going to happen for the last five minutes or more. The poor Bug-type was scared stiff, and on the cusp of tears.  
“No chance,” growled Houndoom, hackles raised up.   
Poochyena ran along to stand alongside his head. “Right! We won’t letchya!”   
Dominic gave an approving sideways glance. Alongside them, Persian stood calmly. As usual in rescue missions, she’d be the one to first put the client in safety before attacking from behind.   
Gengar, Ekans, and Medicham laughed wickedly. Medicham drew a finger across his own throat in a threat and Ekans reared up into the air, like an Arbok preparing the strike. Gengar stepped forward. “We’ll beat you, then we’ll take Metapod home and press Caterpie into service. Reckon they’ll pay us to save you when you don’t return?” His already broad, white grin spread further. “I don’t think so.”   
Houndoom pounced forward and a Flamethrower erupted from his mouth. Ekans darted to his left and Medicham to his right, while Gengar simply vanished. Poochyena sent himself charging toward the swiftly moving Ekans, desperate to be useful. He brought his shoulder low and swung it forward in a vicious, well-executed Tackle.  
Ekans, though, was a quick and agile opponent. His body slipped aside like a ribbon, and wrapped tightly around Poochyena. He drew tight, which caused Poochyena to yelp out in anguish. On the opposite side, Persian was engaged with Medicham. She’d managed to wedge Metapod out of the tree with a good Tackle and as he hopped away, she faced the remaining member of the Meanies. The Fighting type dodged, ducked and weaved, retaliating with Fire, Ice and Thunder Punches. Fortunately, Izzy was swift and agile and kept away from the full strength of each blow. 

Houndoom wheeled toward where Ekans had his pup restricted. Gengar was still out of sight so he rushed forward and bit about Ekans’ form, making the snake hiss furiously. His coils loosened as he turned about to bite at Houndoom, but Poochyena had fangs of his own and he bit Ekans, gripping tightly and wriggling his head around. Persian, too, had managed to work out Medicham’s weakness; the Pokémon was powerful while it could keep punching, but if Izzy slipped back and came in with Bite, Slash, and Fury Swipes before backing off, she could wear the Fighter down.  
The fight would have been all but won, except for Gengar. The ghost reappeared in their midst and, with a pulse of spiteful, dark energy, he sent a wide Confuse Ray against Izzy, Dom and Poochy all at once. Persian stumbled, Poochyena squealed, and Houndoom roared in aggravation. There was nothing worse than an enemy he couldn’t fight!  
Ekans was spinning around to strike at Poochyena, still lost in his confusion, when Persian broke free. She hissed and bounded across the battlefield in a long, loping run. She pulled out a move she didn’t even know she could do, and Night Slashed across Ekans. The snake hissed and recoiled, shuddering back into the grass where it glanced around to his friends for support. Gengar’s grin was faltering; nobody resisted his attacks so easily!  
Houndoom snapped free, too. He took a deep breath and let out the kind of Roar that sent the rest of the forest silent. It thundered around the clearing, bringing Poochyena back around and stopping Medicham in his tracks.   
“Best you leave, now,” hissed Persian viciously. Her shoulders were bunched up; her eyes burned with fervour. She, like both of her companions, were more than ready to finish things if Gengar didn’t take his chance.  
Poochyena dashed across to where Metapod was and stood over the Bug-type, growling. Because Poochy was so tiny, his paws dangled above the ground as his belly laid on the Metapod, so he placed all four paws on the cocoon and growled from there, looking much taller now. Gengar looked around the field and hesitated for a moment before flying away, leaving his other two team members to rush after him.  
When it was certain the three were gone, Izzy and Dom could finally relax. They first went to each other and affectionately nuzzled their heads together, relieved they survived this fight. Then they walked together to Poochy and Metapod. In a deep voice, Metapod was complaining that Poochyena’s paw was on his nose.  
“Get off, cub,” Persian told him, and Poochy hurried to obey. She made some room in her pouch for Metapod to lay in. He was pretty damaged from being stuck, but if he didn’t do anything dangerous, he should be able to evolve without any problems.   
Caterpie, back at home, was extremely happy to see his brother back. He had climbed their hut, hiding on the roof, but hanging from a string-shot, he abseiled down swiftly.   
“You heroes! You amazing heroes! You found him! You saved him! You saved me! Oh, you heroes!”   
Poochyena seemed rather pleased with the praise, even though he didn’t do that much.   
While Isabelle handled Caterpie and their payment, Dominic and Poochyena went to get some fish from town, to have a luxury meal as celebration of a job well done.


	10. Natural Disasters

A couple of days after the events in Sinister Woods, the three unofficial rescuers were getting back to themselves. This meant that Persian was starting to prowl outside the house and speak with the neighbours, it meant that Poochyena had relocated his briefly dampened energy, and it meant that Dominic was, currently, asleep. Such activities were starting to feel like home to the unlikely trio. 

Persian was in the Eastern Forest again. Originally, she had set out to visit Della, the Delcatty, and Arcanine, but she met many others in that region. Currently, she sat in a circle of other women from around the area. There was Della, of course. She never missed any social event. Butterfree, whose sons were Caterpie and Metapod. Persian had met them a couple times. Beautifly, who was Butterfree’s neighbour. She had heard about Persian and had longed to meet the cat. Also, there were Stantler and Natu. All four of them met under the canopy of the tree’s rich foliage.   
“Have you heard, Miss Persian? The weather has been so odd these days. Instead of the usually gentle, sunny weather, there have been storms. It’s become too difficult to leave the Forest these days!” Beautifly said.   
“I had not heard, but I either spent my time in some sort of mountain or at home. I wonder what’s causing these storms,” Isabelle mused.  
“That’s not the only thing! It’s snowing in the desert!” Stantler said, scraping the ground with her hoof in agitation. “Many Pokémon have had to flee because it has become too cold there to live for them. Poor dears.”   
“The rivers and lake beds are running dry, too. Never before has there been so little water in the rivers,” Della piped in.  
“Tiny earthquakes have been felt, too. The Diglett are not to blame; I asked,” Natu said.   
“Oh, this is terrible! What could have caused all this misery?” Butterfree exclaimed, sounding close to tears.   
“Don’t worry. I’ll ask around. Surely someone knows how this happened and how to solve this,” Persian said. 

Dominic eventually woke to the sound of his smallest companion charging back and forth across the room. At each end, Poochyena would catch a small, squeezy, Voltorb toy, before flicking his head to toss it across the room and barrelling down to try and pounce on it. Back and forth and back and forth, the little pup played fetch with itself.  
“Careful, Pooch,” warned Dominic, foretelling… There was a crash. Poochyena, distracted by the voice of his mentor, had tangled over his own legs, tripped over the Voltorb ball, and crashed against the wall. “Else that will happen.”   
Poochyena wasn’t hurt, and came bounding over to Dominic with a toothy grin. “Dom! I learnt to Bite! Did you see?” He gnashed into the air, and Dominic put his legs under himself to climb to all fours.   
“I did. You’re doing very well, Pooch. Do you know where Izzy went?”  
Poochyena did a full circle when Dominic congratulated him, then rushed off to get the ball going once more. “Nuh uh! She went out to see her friends!” He pounced onto the ball and, though he caught it in his teeth, his body flipped over it. He landed on his back and, as far as Dom could see, all but bounced back to his feet. “Did you mean what you said, about me doing well?”   
“Absolutely.” Dominic came striding past, pausing just long enough for Poochyena to charge in front of him. “In Sinister Woods, you fought very bravely, and quite well. Both Izzy and I were very proud of you.”   
Speaking of the Persian, Izzy came in. The worried look on her face dampened the high spirits the two males had. “There’s trouble,” she said before explaining what she had heard.   
Outside, in the afternoon, they worked a little, training themselves up. While Dom and Poochy worked on their Bites, Isabelle was trying something new. The attack was called Shadow Claw, which was a stronger attack than her own Scratch was, and also had a longer range. With the purple-aura claws, Isabelle easily impressed Poochyena, who was awed by what kind of cool attacks his mentor could use. While they occasionally failed and faded away, Persian was strong enough to cut through branches with the flick of her paw. 

By evening, Poochyena had run himself ragged and he went to curl up in a small ball, in his bed to one side of the room. Dominic lay in bed, watching his beloved Isabelle drinking a little water before she would join him.   
“Are you worried about the disasters, Izz?” He kept his voice low, so as not to disturb their youngest member.  
“A little. You see, they said this started two weeks ago. They named the exact day we showed up here. Why is it that we have no memory of the time before two weeks ago, and all these natural disasters start happening?”   
“I’m not sure, but it’s unlikely that it’s our fault. Our amnesia and the problems in the world might have a common cause, instead of us being the cause. We could not even walk very fast. How could we have caused snow in the desert?”   
Isabelle sighed, lying down next to him. “I know. It just doesn’t feel right.”   
As they curled up, neither of them saw the pair of red ears peeking up from the window.


	11. Silent Chasm 1

Dom rose shortly after Izzy the next morning. Poochyena was already up, outside chasing Pidgey with his now slightly less amusing roar. This gave the ‘parental’ duo a moment to themselves. Dominic came to where Izzy was lapping water, nuzzling into her side before leaning in to share the bowl.   
“Izz?” asked the large Houndoom, searchingly. She murmured wordlessly and he pressed on. “You given any thought to taking on your own pup? Well, a kitten, I suppose… Something of the sort.”

Izzy looked up, one slender eyebrow raised incredulously. “Why would I need a cub? We’ve got Poochyena to take care of.”  
“Well, we seem to keep getting ourselves into trouble. We could use the help. Besides, it’s rewarding.” He looked toward the door. He couldn’t actually see Poochyena but he could hear him not far down the road. He could imagine the little tyke barrelling toward Pidgey, his tongue lolling out to one side, not at all concerned that the birds could easily flutter away.  
The Persian sighed. “I don’t know. I’m not really the motherly type. Even Poochy is wary around me.”   
“Well,” he bunched one shoulder in a loose shrug and went over to fetch an apple for each of them. “It’s worth considering. Either way, I think it’s best we go into town, what with the events you were telling me about. We’ll bring Pooch, though let’s not tell him all the details just yet.”   
Isabelle nodded in agreement and, after the pair ate their apples down to the core, they collected Poochyena and headed along to Pokémon Square.  
Poochyena had only come into town once before, which made the whole place very exciting. Although Isabelle had sworn him to his best behaviour the pup lunged off recklessly toward this building and that one, eager to see what the shops were selling or to run off toward Pelipper Post Office. At each turn, Dominic had to snatch him back gently with his mouth or a paw, until he felt more like a sheep Houndoom than a wild Pokémon.   
At one point, the group passed three Meowth, two males and a female, and Poochyena’s excitement bubbled over. He dashed forward and started yapping at them. Dominic moved to intervene, Izzy moved faster, but fastest of all was the female Meowth, who scratched Poochyena across the nose. The small hound looked so baffled that he shut up on the spot. The Meowth had passed on, with apologies from Isabelle, who’d then warned Poochyena in no uncertain terms, hissing her entire speech. He was much better behaved after that.  
Dominic and Izzy each had a couple of errands to run, to buy a few supplies, hire a trio of Oddish to start planting them a neat garden, and check in on the job board, lest they’d missed anything urgent. Their most interesting encounter by far, however, was, as they were leaving, with a Shiftry.  
The strange looking Pokémon - all wood, with tufts of white hair and leafy hands - barred their path. He had cold eyes, not mean, but serious. “You must be Dominic Houndoom, and Isabelle Persian?” he asked, his voice matching his stance. His head bowed, briefly. “I have heard that you help people. I, too, try to aid where I can.”   
“That is us…” Persian offered, a little unsure what to make of the Shiftry. Houndoom didn’t seem too worried, though, and Poochyena had shifted forward to sniff toward the newcomer curiously, though from afar.  
“I mean only to introduce myself as another ‘Rescue Team’, as some in the town are coming to refer to you. I work alone, however.”  
“Whatchya doing now, then, mister?” piped up Poochyena, to the surprise of Isabelle and Dominic, as well as to Shiftry.  
“I will buy two apples and two berries, and enter the Silent Chasm. There I will save Jumpluff, escort her to the village. Perhaps when I return, we could have a dinner together, and compare notes about the areas we have visited?”  
Persian smiled a little at this and nodded, before Houndoom could start trying to talk his way into another quiet night. “We would love to, Shiftry. We have a house down the road; come whenever you return?”   
Shiftry nodded, silently, and left. So, they would have a dinner guest, sometime soon. Izzy looked forward to it, almost as much as the excitable Poochyena. Even Dominic accepted that it was probably a sensible meeting to have.   
Behind Wigglytuff’s store, a Pokémon with blue ears whispered something to the one with red ears. They both giggled and ran off.


	12. Silent Chasm 2

Days came and went. Dominic spent the time training at the Dojo, often with Poochyena, though the elder hound had more stamina and his training tended to last longer. At those times Poochyena sat at the edge with his head on his paws, tongue lolling out. He learned a little from watching how Houndoom swung around and gnashed at the training dummies, as well as recoiling in awed overheating from the jets of fire and embers, which Houndoom now handled with ease.   
Though they spent much of their time out, they did return for meals and regular meetings with Isabelle. The Persian of their little team was busy talking around town, waiting on Shiftry, and trying to track down those mysterious ears and giggles, which had been plaguing them throughout.   
On the third day, she managed it. It was early morning and the feline and canine Pokémon discussed some issues before heading out in their separate directions. The two sets of ears had peeked over the top of a window while Dominic and Izzy had been talking. They were both concerned at how long Shiftry had been gone, and were talking about the possibility of having to go after them. Izzy noticed the ears first, though, and nodded toward them without breaking her talking. It was kind of hard not to notice them, actually, since the snooping was accompanied with giggles.   
While Dominic replied to her, pretending he did not notice anything, she padded over on silent paws. Houndoom watched her, but spoke as though nothing was going on until Izzy bunched onto her hind paws and lunged up. She landed on the sill easily and caught the source of the ears; one Plusle and one Minun, holding hands and eavesdropping. They paused and glanced up, slowly and seemingly terrified, to where the large shadow of a grinning cat.  
“Well, well, well… what have we here?” She purred, leaping off the windowsill and cornering the two electric-types against the wall. At the window above them, Houndoom rested his front paws on the sill, looking down at the snoopers.   
“You’re miss Persian, aren’t you?” One piped in their high-pitched voice. The one with the red ears had spoken first.  
“Of Persian and Houndoom?” The other said, in a similar voice.   
Isabelle glanced at Dominic. “Well, I am a Persian, and since I am mated to a Houndoom, that probably makes me the Persian of Persian and Houndoom. How did you know about us?”   
Both of them squeaked in excitement. “Oh, everyone speaks of you. Of Houndoom’s power and your charm and how you save and help other Pokémon!” The blue one said. Minun, was it?   
“We need your help, miss Persian! Could you please take us with you on your adventures? We really want to evolve into Pikachu!”   
At first, Isabelle struggled to keep a hint of distaste hidden on her face. She was no mother! She couldn’t nearly take care of these two tiny ones. But then she heard their goal.   
“Sweeties, you won’t evolve into Pikachu. Only Pichu can. I’m sorry,” Persian sat down on the ground to make herself look less threatening. Houndoom scrambled up into the windowsill - his own movement was more of a scramble than Izzy’s agile leap - then bounded smoothly across their heads. He came to sit next to his mate, nestling against her side.  
The blue one began to cry, and the red one, Plusle, glared at Izzy, sparking furiously. “You don’t understand! We will evolve into Pikachu! You just watch.”   
Houndoom snorted a laugh, huffing a bit of smoke. “Follow your dream, kid. Tried a Thunderstone yet?”   
Plusle turned to face Dom while Izzy shot him a glare. “Don’t encourage them,” Persian hissed softly. Dominic merely shrugged and listened to Plusle explain that they had, indeed, stolen a Thunderstone, only to find out it did not work. Kangaskhan has been really mad to find out she was stolen from, Minun had added with a whimper.   
Arcanine, Delcatty’s mate and a friend of Izzy, came storming towards their cabin. He held a leaf that merely spelled ‘help’. “It’s from Shiftry,” Arcanine said.   
“Come on, let’s go find him!” Persian leapt to her paws. Houndoom was not far behind. “He went to the Silent Chasm, did he not?” She retrieved her cloth bag but was stopped at the door by Houndoom, who had walked around outside.  
“Let them come,” he spoke lowly, nudging his head not very tactfully to the tearful Minun and determined Plusle. They’d followed behind him, at a cautious distance. “Poochyena can keep them safe. He’d love the challenge.”   
“Where is the cub anyway?” Persian looked around.   
“At Makuhita’s gym. I’ve sent Arcanine to fetch him.”  
Isabelle sighed deeply. “Fine.” She glared lightly at the two who seemed overjoyed, sparking excitedly.   
Dom rubbed his snout against her cheek affectionately. “You big softie. You’re amazing, and I love you,” he whispered.   
Isabelle returned the gesture, permitting herself a small smile, and then led their mismatched team towards the Silent Chasm. Persian ran first, carrying Plusle on her back. Then came Poochyena, and Houndoom ran in rear with Minun holding onto his horns. 

Whatever awaited them in the chasm, they would deal with it. They would save Shiftry.


	13. Silent Chasm 3

No more than five minutes into the rescue mission, Isabelle severely regretted bringing the two with her. Not only did Plusle and Minun firmly believe they could evolve into a Pikachu with enough experience, they bounced all over the place. Persian never liked that about electric-types. Way too much energy. Fire-types, however, had a warm personality, though tended to be a bit hot-headed, Isabelle thought fondly as she watched Dominic run ahead with Poochyena. The Houndoom had bonded quite closely with the dark canine puppy. Mightyena, their evolved form, could be vicious creatures but surely Pooch, who was so adorable, would not become that way? Persian worried for Houndoom if that was to happen.

While Izzy was struggling to contain the twin bundles of energy - literally - that were Plusle and Minun, Dominic was ranging ahead. Poochyena tagged along, keeping a short distance back. Though Poochyena was becoming increasingly able, he was still loathe to take the lead… It would be a while before that alpha spark flared in him.

The chasm opened up in the side of a cliff face, a huge, gaping maw. It was about forty feet wide and full of twists and turns and multiple layers of rugged rock. From the outside, it was an imposing sight indeed.   
From the shadows, dozens of little, golden eyes peered out. Dominic glanced to them, eyes flicking hard. His nose flared and was filled with a half familiar scent… The sulphuric, burning scent of a Fire type, mixed with something Dominic was much more used to. The smell of canine animals. He skulked back toward Izzy and gave her companions such a look that they stopped what they were doing, at least briefly. Persian prowled closer, leaving the twins with Poochyena.   
“Izzy. I think there are Houndour in there. A lot of Houndour,” he glanced around, over his shoulder. Some primal something was stirred inside him. Though he’d only been a Houndoom a short while, he had a sense for how their society worked. “I don’t think that they’ll be welcoming. It could be that they see me as encroaching on their turf.” 

Isabelle understood. Felines, like Meowth and Persian, could be rather territorial as well, though not as much as the canines. Still, it wasn’t something that they could turn back on, so on they moved. They entered the chasm in a small, close group and, for a while, the eyes remained distant. They were being watched, certainly, but from the shadows.

As they wandered deeper, the eyes drew closer and started to loom out of the shadows. They belonged to Houndour, dozens of them, who were small and wary of Dominic. The reason soon became obvious; at the end of a winding passage, flanked by the small but unaggressive critters, they came into a room. In the centre was a tall Houndoom, older than Dominic with a grizzled maw and cold, demanding eyes. Persian noted some scars on his body. Testament to how many fights he’d done and survived. He stood tall and appraised Dominic and Izzy as they entered.  
“Do you come to challenge me for the pack?” Asked the Houndoom. He was old but his voice strong and firm; in his prime, he would have been an impressive pack leader.   
Dom dipped his head forward, without lowering his eyes, and motioned for his companions to do the same. Isabelle took the Plusle and Minun between her legs, shielding them with her body. Poochy was pulled under as well. No pack leader would attack a mother, would he? Still, she stayed quiet as Dominic spoke. “No, Houndoom. I am not here for your pack.” The older Pokémon seemed to settle a little, confusion replacing confrontation. “We are here tracking a friend who passed through; a Shiftry. He came here to look for a lost Jumpluff”   
“Ah. You mean this shaky thing?” He stepped forward from the centre of the room, haunches bunch and loosen heavily. They’re sinewy but powerful. Behind him, Jumpluff cowered in a corner, terrified of Houndoom’s fiery breath. Tips of her puff had been singed. “She would not stop whimpering. I had to intimidate her into shutting up. Go ahead and take her.” Persian nodded and gathered Jumpluff between her paws, where it was beginning to get rather crowded. “I know of this creature you’re tracking. I must disappoint you for your quest has been in vain: he is not here anymore. However, I know also who has taken him.” His head turned toward a small tunnel in the back of the room. It cut upwards, and it was narrow. Wind whistled from it softly, now that they paid attention.   
Dominic stepped forward, circling the room around the edge of the other Houndoom. It was a little tricky to move with their cubs between her legs, but Persian managed. Nobody moved to stop the little group, but as they were about to leave the leader spoke clearly. “It will be dangerous. I wish you luck - but also hope that this is the last time you encroach upon my turf.”  
No one replied, but instead slipped into the narrow, steep path. It was winding, the sides steep and jagged. A rough and cold breeze blew over them, making Dominic and Izzy glad for their relatively new-found fur. They allowed Jumpluff to catch the wind and float herself back to town. She would be fine.   
Not far in the distance, a mountain stood in its awe-inspiring glory. Thunderclouds rolled around the peak, flashing and thundering occasionally. From this path, the mountain could be reached.


	14. Mt Thunder

The walk to Mt Thunder proved to rather perilous for Team Dizzy. A gale was blowing and the thunderstorm of its mountainous namesake caused it to rain heavily. With every thunderclap, the cubs between Persian’s legs whimpered and cowered closer. For once, the twins weren’t bouncing all over the place. Instead, they would lightly spark Izzy whenever they got startled. This hurt, of course, but was no more than a mere annoyance. The cubs were relatively safe underneath Izzy. Dom was protecting Poochyena as they worked step by step towards the shelter of the mountain’s caverns.   
By the time they reached there, both the adult Pokémon were completely soaked, so they cuddled together for warmth. Plusle and Minun stuck close together naturally, and Poochyena was not yet so proud that he wouldn’t join them. Izzy curled around the bundle of all three of them on one side, and Houndoom on the other; the two adult Pokémon’s heads touched at one end, and their tails at the other. Both of them found their fronts warmed by their pack while their backs shivered a little.  
“This storm came fast,” Dominic growled to his mate, trying to keep his voice soft enough for the others not to hear. Poochyena’s ears perked, however.   
“It doesn’t seem… It was fast,” Isabelle agreed.   
With a sigh, Houndoom looked into the cave. “It will be dry, following these caves up, unless we have to climb on a ledge. I suspect the wind will whistle. Do we take these others, or ask them to…?”   
Izzy cut him off, more sensible than the hound. “We take them. We can’t leave them here!” Dom nodded; it made sense.   
They waited a while longer, until their fur was dried out, then moved onward. True to his prediction, many of the main tunnels howled with a wind that cut straight through the mountain, to some distant exit. While it was cold, it would also give them a route out if it came to it. Some of the smaller side tunnels were less bad, however, so the group stuck to these.  
The other denizens of the tower had clearly bolted to ground. Apart from the odd noise here or there, a flitter of movement in the shadows, they encountered nobody. It was eerie, with the only noise being the sound of droplets dripping echoing through the hollow caverns.   
This suited Persian just fine. Everyone was spooked from the storm, though some tried to hide it. Poochyena kept his head up high, but his tail was slightly between his hind legs. However, nearby Houndoom, he was safe. That meant that Izzy was stuck with the twins, who had warmed up and regained their energy. To give them something to do, she told them to hunt the Weedle that sometimes crept along the cavern floor, sparking them until they could hit every one of them consistently.   
This actually kept them busy for quite a while, much to Persian’s surprise. Plusle and Minun couldn’t hit a single one of them when they started until one, by pure luck, managed to hit a Weedle. After much excited squealing, their aim had improved. No Weedle were harmed in this exercise. The twins were too young to do any damage. They merely gave annoying zaps. However, when a male Nidoran showed up, the cubs got scared and hid between Persian’s legs again, who scared Nidoran away with a mere growl. She gathered her cubs and kept going, deeper and higher into the mountain. They needed to get to the peak.

Further up, the weather grew steadily worse and so the Pokémon that lived here were tougher. The Stantler left them alone, but the Electabuzz, the Ampharos, and the Manectric did not, unfortunately. Izzy and Dominic had to fight them all. By the time they were nearly to the top, Persian was trembling on her paws and Houndoom fought against the spasms a paralysing attack had given him. As they came as high as they could, a massive bird could be seen flying circles around the mountain, fuelling the thunderstorm. But they could not access the plateau in front of them; a Growlithe protected it. This Growlithe stood as tall as he could, growling threateningly. His fur was raised to make him look bigger, more like an Arcanine.   
“Please, allow me,” Poochyena said, stepping forward. Dominic had fought a lot of battles for him, since this place was dangerous. Isabelle was worried for Poochyena. Growlithe was the stronger Pokémon, usually. The fire-type was also a bit bigger and slightly heavier than their cub. However, Poochyena had had a lot of training underneath the two of them. Surely that gave him an advantage over a wild Pokémon?  
Growling at each other, the two circled on the plateau, with the others watching from the entrance. Poochyena had been taught to bide his time and so he waited for Growlithe to attack, which he did rather impatiently. Their cub dodged and bit the wild Pokémon rather viciously behind the foreleg. When Growlithe stood up, he seemed to favour his other leg, limping a bit. Because he was unbalanced, Poochyena tackled him swiftly for a critical hit. Grounded, Growlithe spit a fire attack at Poochyena, burning him in a painful manner, but another tackle at full speed knocked the other canine off the plateau. He hit a wall and did not move anymore, unconscious.   
Panting, Poochyena stood in the middle of the stone battlefield, occasionally wincing in pain at the burn on his side. It would take a while to heal but if he took it easy, he should be fine. The air crackled with electric energy when a gigantic bird descended from the air. Houndoom and Persian instantly dashed to protect the injured puppy. Plusle and Minun’s cheeks sparked in response to Zapdos’ awe-inspiring power.   
“Why have you intruded upon my lair?” He boomed with a loud voice.   
“We seek a friend of ours. Shiftry, a grass-type a bit bigger than us,” Isabelle answered, having to nearly shout to make herself heard over the thunderstorms.   
“I have this grass-type you speak of, but I will not hand him over! Nature is unbalanced and someone has to be punished!” Furiously, he flapped his wings, amplifying the force of the storm surrounding them. In his rage, he had summoned eternal storms which caused some unbalance of their own.   
“Lord Zapdos, you know just as well as I do that Shiftry is not the cause of this. Please let him go. I am Isabelle, and this Houndoom is Dominic. We’re investigating what is going on and will do our best to bring nature back into balance.”  
“Insolent cat. How dare you speak to me like that?! I should strike you where you stand!” Lightning sparked from the tips of his rough plumage, but he seemed to settle just a fraction; a lull, in the storm. “Here, take your worthless friend. He did not last long anyway. You’re right; a puny tree like that could never unbalance nature.” With a swish of his wing, he revealed the unconscious Pokémon lying there. Poochyena and Houndoom rushed forward to drag him away from Zapdos while Isabelle kept talking to him.  
“Your anger is affecting this region, lord Zapdos. It’s raining where it should not. Your clouds are blocking the sun. You’re known for the magnificent thunderstorms but, please, restrain yourself. Resume your duties and protect your realm. We will speak to your brethren as well, to see whether they’re also upset. You three are mighty and your anger can be destructive.”  
Zapdos regarded her with a mixture of anger and sadness before sighing in a resigned manner. “Very well. Greet my friends for me, when you see them. Also, take good care of Plusle and Minun. All electric types are my kin.”  
“I will, Lord Zapdos. Take care of yourself and yours. This mountain is a sanctuary for them.” Persian bowed her head before retreating down the steps, taking turns dragging Shiftry. Even Plusle and Minun’s shocks could not wake the guy. It would be a long road back.


	15. Great Canyon 1

By the time Team Dizzy – by now consisting of Houndoom, Persian, Plusle, Minun, Poochyena, and a currently unconscious Shiftry, strapped across Dominic’s back – made it back to Pokémon Square, the gale that had terrorised them since Mt Thunder had finally quieted down. As the storm clouds dissolved, a dark sky could be seen. Its last stars blinked out at the sight of the pinks and oranges at the horizon, announcing the rising of the sun. Carrying Shiftry, who was not a small Pokémon, all the way from the mountain with them had taken them the remainder of the previous day and the entire night. Some Pidgey saw them coming and rushed off to warn the town.  
Plusle and Minun had crawled on Persian’s back, feeling in the comfort of the feline’s soft fur. Even Poochyena was staggering on his feet yet determined to stay awake. Kangaskhan rushed in to take the grass-type from them, taking him to the Chansey hospital to recover from the ordeal. Because people were more worried about Shiftry than the fairly new Pokémon who had brought him back, Dominic and Isabelle managed to slink away to their own little house to sleep, accompanied by Poochyena.  
As they approached the hut, Poochyena raced in first, leaving Isabelle behind. She had to walk carefully with the two cubs on her back. Persian took a moment to take in their hut. The hut itself was nothing special, made of straw and wood with a few holes for windows and a bigger one for the entrance. Their garden was looking great, thanks to Diglett and Dugtrio, who had ploughed it for them and even planted some flowers. Still, Isabelle had the feeling she would not be here long enough to see them settle. Dom and Izzy had come from somewhere before they woke up like this. Somewhere that made this feel like a dream or, perhaps, that somewhere was the dream? Then she headed inside, tucked Plusle and Minun on Poochyena’s pillow and curled up against Houndoom on their own. Sleep came immediately for they were beyond exhausted.  
“You think they’re awake?”  
“I dunno, it’s very quiet in there.”  
“Should I go and look?”  
“You’re much too big for that, dummy!”  
“Both of you are too big, and if I’m not mistaken, you’ve woken them with your shouting.”

Isabelle woke groggily to sunlight on her snout and booming voices outside. Untangling herself from Houndoom’s warm body, she padded outside and sat in the doorframe, yawning. Almost towering over her hut, an Alakazam, a Charizard, and a Tyranitar stood there in their majestic glory. Isabelle had not lived in this town for a long time, but she still heard the stories about this legendary rescue team.  
“Morning,” she replied sleepily, rubbing her face with her paw. “Why the noise?”  
“Forgive us for the intrusion, miss Persian. We had some questions for you on the Shiftry case. Could you tell us what transpired between you and Lord Zapdos,” Alakazam said in a slow voice as he gave a slight bow.  
And so Isabelle told Team ACT of the search for Shiftry and freeing Jumpluff from Silent Chasm, who had told them Shiftry had not reached the trapped Pokémon. The local Houndour pack, led by a Houndoom, informed them of Lord Zapdos taking the Pokémon they searched for to Mt Thunder. Upon arriving there, Lord Zapdos was upset by the unbalanced nature and caused natural disasters of his own in his anger. Concluding, Isabelle mentioned she had promised to talk to his brethren, Articuno and Moltres. Charizard and Tyranitar looked horrified, but Alakazam nodded sagely.  
“I had heard of this, yes. Supposedly, the problems started when you and Mr Houndoom arrived in town,” the psychic-type said. At this, Isabelle hissed quietly.  
“I resent this accusation. How could anyone believe we’re capable of such destruction? The three mythical birds being furious is a much more logical cause.”  
Charizard laughed. “Calm down, kitty cat. We’re not here to cast you out. We just wanted to know about what happened to Shiftry. He’s one of our best. Also, we got some advice for you. There’s this Pokémon able to look into the future and past, who might be able to tell you where you came from and what your purpose here is.” Then he shrugged. “Or so legend says.”  
Alakazam gave Charizard an annoyed look for his lack of faith, as Tyranitar spoke up with a surprisingly feminine voice more suited for a Jynx or Persian than someone as massive as a Tyranitar.  
“Xatu lives on the Hill of the Ancients. To reach there, one must cross the Great Canyon. Do be careful. It is a dangerous place, and it’s only the two of you and three cubs.”  
Persian nodded. “I will. Thank you. How’s Shiftry?”  
“Paralysed. Minor teams have already dispatched to search for the proper berries, so that he may recover quickly. We really should start our own berry garden nearby. Chansey would be delighted to have all berries she needs within paw’s reach,” mused Tyranitar.  
Isabelle smiled and yawned once more. “Sounds good. I will ready ourselves for the trek to the Great Canyon. Thank you for your advice.” And with that, she retreated back inside. Dominic opened one lazy eye as she snuggled back onto the pillow.  
“Heard everything?”  
“Hmhm,” came the affirmative growl. 

Once they had dozed a tiny bit more, Dominic went to get them something to eat while Izzy woke the cubs. Plusle and Minun did not allow themselves to be woken, but Poochyena was not as difficult. He leapt up, inquired where Dom had gone and dashed off to find him. Good cub, Persian thought. He was becoming rather likeable. These two, however, were not. Snarling a little, Isabelle hissed at them when they refused to get up again. That certainly woke them, though now they were shivering in fear. Sighing, Persian gestured for them to follow her as she moved to where Dom and Izzy had agreed to meet.   
Upon the main square of Pokémon square, the mood was uneasy as Isabelle waited for Dom with their breakfast. Pokémon were huddled together, whispering. Gengar whizzed through the air with that creepy grin of his. He seemed to enjoy the disturbance.  
During breakfast, Poochyena seemed distracted. He kept looking at Dominic with a thoughtful look and then glanced south of the town.  
“Dominic?” He started eventually.   
“Yush?” The charming canine replied with his mouth full, causing Izzy to roll her eyes.  
“I’d like to be like you.”  
“Sure, pup.”   
“Can I stay behind and train with Makuhita? Until I evolve?”   
That caught Dom’s attention. He nearly choked in his food and coughed embers until he could speak again.   
“You what? I guess you can… Why don’t you want to come with us and learn that way?”  
“Because those Pokémon are too strong for me. Makuhita has a gym. This is what he does! Making Pokémon stronger.”  
Isabelle smiled softly and laid her paw on his shoulder blade. “Of course you can, cub. It’s noble that you want to work for it so much. We hope to be back tonight. Do tell us all about what you’ve learned, okay?”   
“Yes, Momma!”  
That caught Izzy by surprise but not for long. She rubbed her snout against his before standing up. “I’m going to wash these two and grab my pouch. Then we’re ready to go. Meet me by the hut, Dom?”  
“Yeah, sure. I’d like to walk Pooch to Makuhita’s Gym, first.”  
“Take your time.”   
Isabelle herded Plusle and Minun away, who were bad at suppressing their glee at being the only cubs left in Dom and Izzy’s little family. Isabelle did not know this would be the last time she’d see Poochyena in this form.


	16. Great Canyon 2

Leaving Pokémon Square with Plusle and Minun on their backs, Persian and Houndoom ran for the Great Canyon to meet with Xatu on top of the Hill of the Ancients. On the way there, both remained quiet. Houndoom thought of Poochyena, who had asked to stay behind to train with Makuhita at his gym. A noble request, one Dominic usually applauded. However, he had grown attached to the pup and found it difficult to accept he was growing up. Gone was the tiny, cutesy growling puppy. Poochyena had grown under Dom’s care into a good member of the team. He was still young, but could become an amazing Mightyena one day. Plusle and Minun tried to start conversation but neither Isabelle nor Dominic responded to them, so they stayed quiet sullenly.   
The beginning of the Canyon didn’t pose any challenge to them. Some Skiploom, some Dunsparce. Izzy was fond of Skiploom and their pre-evolutions since they gave her a sense of peace. Deeper in, they encountered Noctowl, Murkrow, Vileplume, and Ariados. All just minded their own business and therefore so did Team Dizzy.   
They did run into some trouble deeper into the Grand Canyon, just before the ascent to the Hill of the Ancients. Tauros roamed there and were thundering around, crushing anything and everything underneath their hooves. A few times, Houndoom and Persian found themselves in their path.   
“Quickly! This way!” A voice barked and without pausing to find out whose it was, the canine and feline headed into the cave. When the herd had passed, they sighed in relief.   
“That was close. You’re not from around here, are you?” A Houndoom with a horn missing growled disapprovingly at them. “You!” He barked at Dominic. “Take better care of yours. You’ve got a pack to protect”   
Dominic’s hackles raised and he snarled a little, in spite of himself. Persian knew it was an honour code among Houndoom to protect their packs. It had nothing to do with Persian being female or anything. It just was the Houndoom’s natural instinct to guard and protect, and Dominic’s ability had been challenged; his pride pricked.   
“Excuse me,” Isabelle interrupted. “Could you show us where the Hill of the Ancients is? You know, where Xatu lives?”   
“You’re off to see Xatu? You should have said that sooner! Let’s go! Paws off the floor! Keep moving!” he barked, leaping to his paws and setting out at an incredible pace. Persian nearly dislodged Minun on her back as she rushed to keep up. Dominic bounded along at the back, keeping a careful eye out to ensure he remained beyond reproach.  
Quickly, they reached the ramp that would take them to the plateau that overlooked the entire Great Canyon. This is also where Xatu lived, according to the one-horned Houndoom.   
When their guide had left them, Persian approached her mate and rubbed her snout against his, affectionately.   
“Don’t worry,” she whispered. “You protect our pack. I don’t think you’re lacking at all. The Tauros merely surprised us, that’s all. You’ve raised Pooch from a cub to a competent young male. I am proud to walk at your side.”   
Dom gruffed in response, still not quite in the mood to talk it over. The last sentence struck a little better and, though he didn’t turn toward her, he butted his shoulder against hers affectionately.   
Xatu was waiting for them at the flat plateau. The sun shone mercilessly down on them, yet the bird showed no sign of discomfort. “Ah, old friends!” He greeted Dom and Izzy, spreading his wings invitingly. The two exchanged a confused look.  
“So, it is true. You do not remember. Sit down, friends. Much need to be explained.” Xatu waited until Persian and Houndoom did as he asked. “As you probably know, the two of you were not born as Pokémon. You are humans in soul. Isabelle Lavender Evergreen, a Pokémon nurse with a strong heart, and Dominic Whitewater, a ranger with a passion. Both known fighters of Pokémon welfare and their protection. This world is torn, Miss Evergreen and Mister Whitewater. As you have seen, things are out of balance. If all continues the way as they are, this world will be destroyed. Your human selves knew this. Gardevoir, our messenger to the human world, has told you this. Humans cannot come here. The Pokémon here have never seen one. They do not know their cruelty, nor their compassion. You are here on a mission, Persian and Houndoom. I regret to say the transformation went too well, locking your memories away. I have no doubt, however, that you will get these back when you finish your mission here and return home. Do as you’re doing, young heroes. Follow your hearts. Do not, however, tell the other Pokémon of your real identity. They would not understand.”

Feeling relieved, their mood was much better when they trekked back to Pokémon Square. They talked about how they spoke to Lord Zapdos and how the storms around Mt Thunder seemed to have lessened. There were more deities to talk to, but the faith in their ability had been renewed. Plusle and Minun skipped happily around as the two quadrupeds kept a slow pace to allow them to keep up. However, at the entrance to town, they were stopped by a mob.  
Gengar floated gleefully above everyone, shouting and pointing at Dom and Izzy. “There they are! Back from causing more trouble. Tell everyone here: where do you come from? Why does no one remember you? You know what else shows up from nothing? Trouble! You are trouble!”   
Kangaskhan, of the storage shop, stepped forward and snatched Plusle and Minun away from Izzy, who cried out for them. Screaming, the electric twins were stuffed in Kangaskhan’s pouch, safe from harm and away from Izzy.   
“We must protect our young from their evil influence! When they showed up, all these disasters started. If we get rid of them, all will be good again! Get them!” Gengar shouted.  
To Dom and Izzy’s horror, the mob charged. Among them was the Banker Persian, the two Kecleon that ran the village shop.   
“Oh, shit! Izz, run!” Dom shouted. They turned tail and dashed as fast as they could. On their way out, they saw their house had been smashed until it was no more than a heap of straw and wood. The pillow that they had bought for Poochyena had been torn to shreds. Running for their lives, Dom and Izzy fled town.


	17. Lapis Cave

Most of the Pokémon from the Square were not a danger to them. Pokémon like Lotad, Snubbull, and Hoppip weren’t fast and could not keep up with the speed Persian and Houndoom had. However, the rescue teams hunted them too. Some Nuzleaf, a Charizard, and Graveler were gaining on them fast. They knew this terrain and could traverse it much quicker than the two foreigners could. Especially Charizard, companion to the famous Alakazam, hunted them ferociously. While flying, he had none of the troubles with the rocky area that Dominic and Isabelle had.   
As they ran, it seemed to Izzy that Charizard was guiding them somewhere. When they tried to make a turn away from the path they were going, he spits embers in their path or tried to bite them, following more closely on their heels. But whenever they kept going wherever they were going, Charizard took a bit of distance, seeming more like an escort than a hunter.   
The stones around them began to change. Some of them were of the most brilliant blue, shining in the evening sun. Isabelle lost her footing and fell through a fissure in the ground, which had opened up in the recent earthquakes. With a scream, she disappeared from view, though she did not fall very far. Climbing back up, however, seemed to be impossible. A muttered curse could be heard from down there about holes like these being the cause of all the rescue jobs out there.   
“This is Lapis Cave. This is how far I’ll take you. It has a back exit. Your mate is fine. Take care.” Charizard spoke in loose statements. Dominic nodded and leapt in after Izzy, finding himself in one of the most beautiful places they’ve been since coming here.  
“What was that?!” Isabelle demanded to know.   
“Charizard guided us here. Possibly to help us.” Dominic explained.  
“Or to lure us into a trap,” Persian hissed.  
Dominic gave her an annoyed growl. “Quite trusting, aren’t you?”  
“Well excuse me for not believing one of those who chased us out of town!”  
Resisting the urge to argue further, he continued forward with a stubborn set of his jaw. Both were stressed from current events and if they wanted to survive, they needed to work together.   
The caverns twisted in narrow corridors, rocky outcrops crowding into their paths on occasion and some few routes growing too narrow or low to pass through. In these cases, they had no choice but to backtrack and try another path and, although it was not too dark for their keen eyes, it was disorienting to not know which way they were going.  
This was made all the worse when there grew the sounds of voices behind them. The words and chatter echoed through the caverns, perhaps amplifying it and certainly throwing off the source. They heard echoes and chatter, not individual voices or even a singular group. Still, it was obvious. They were still hunted.  
They moved on faster. Dominic was worrying that Isabelle might have been right, and Isabelle was forced to trust that her partner was not. Eventually their passages began to grow wider and spill into large, echoey caverns. All the Pokémon were hiding. Not even the usual Zubat were here to bother them in their multitudes.   
A faint breeze up ahead promised that there was an exit, either out of this chamber or the one after it. They picked up the pace hopefully but, at the same moment, the voices behind them broke into a more excited surge. “There!” somebody shouted, and “Right ahead!” There were more cries, gathering and building on one another.  
Dom and Izzy broke into a run, bounding across the chamber and through the first passage they could manage. They had to scramble up a ledge - Persian leapt up gracefully, Dominic had to scratch and scrape to make the final tail-length or so, aided by the pull of her teeth - before they made it into the next room.   
From the left a blur of deep grey and dark black motion came for them. It was something large, the height of Isabelle but with the brawn of Dominic and perhaps heavier than either of them. It skidded to a halt before them. Persian hunched down, exposing her claws and hissing at him.  
It was a Mightyena. A tall and powerful looking one, though young with few of the natural marks, scars and abrasions that came with age. “Run,” he hissed, and both Dominic and Persian knew the voice.  
“Pooch,” Dominic exclaimed in surprise, while Persian slipped forward to nose around the creature. The voices behind them grew louder. “Run, they’ll catch you! I’ll distract them!” insisted the newly evolved Pokémon, but both Dom and Izzy were briefly too startled to see him evolved and looking so… well, powerful. Aggressive noises from behind them, including a deep and mighty roar, broke them out of that particular reverie. A roar sounded. “Go, Golem!” a voice shouted. The following rumbling was unmistakably a Roll-out attack.   
“I’m so proud of you, Pooch,” Dominic told the former puppy, bowing his head.   
Isabelle rubbed her snout against his. “You know where we live. If we can’t return to Pokémon Square, we’ll find a way to tell you where we live next.”   
The two of them barrelled toward one of the tunnels out, pointed along the way by Mightyena. He then turned and let out a deep, booming bark. It silenced the chasing voices for a moment before they redoubled and gave chase after the ongoing barks and growls that Mightyena let out, while darting deeper, deeper into the cave. Away from Dominic and Isabelle. Despite his newly increased speed, he could not outrun Golem’s rolling. Golem was too wrapped up in his attack to notice he was following the wrong canine, and everyone merely dashed after Golem, confident he was on the right track. Thanks to Mightyena, Dominic and Isabelle escaped, but at a painful price.


	18. Mt Blaze

The reduced team - now just Isabelle the Persian and Dominic the Houndoom - had a long and rocky climb to get to where they were going. The sharp, magmatic rocks nicked at Persian and Houndoom’s paws if they didn’t step very carefully, leaving dozens of small but irritating cuts. Despite Mightyena’s heroic efforts to give them time the team had had to travel fast, long, and hard.  
Worse, it was growing hot. They were slowly descending toward where deep cracks in the earth glowed red with the sulphurous earth-heat within. The stones themselves were, in places, hot to the pads of their paws and they sweat through thick fur. The coolness of the Lapis Cave, with its blue lapis lazuli growing everywhere was merely a distant memory by now.   
There was an entrance into this dark, hot mountain some way up above them. Persian, whose feet were a little surer than her larger companion, leapt ahead. She carried herself heavily thanks to her tiredness but her leaps remained nimble and surefooted. Dominic followed, keeping pace but moving at a much steadier trudge. Not a word was spoken during this ascent. Not because nothing could be said, but because they were exhausted like they had never known before.   
By the time they made it up to the looming, dark entrance, both of them were thirsty as well as hot, and tired, and irritable. There was no sign of pursuit behind them, but such a small mercy was hard to notice amid their dissatisfied state. They stepped inside and it took a moment for their eyes to adjust to the darkness. It was a crimson darkness, lit just faintly by more deep boreholes through the Earth’s crust, to where rich magma bubbled and churned and boiled.  
A Pidgeot sat at the entrance, looking sternly down at them. It was as if he judged the threat they posed and found them lacking, for he let them enter the cavern.   
They walked side by side inward. Before them the cavern opened up and up and the path that they followed dropped off. There, at the very lip of what ground they had, lay a dark red and orange pile. It flickered periodically, like the embers of a flame, but looked small.  
The pile of embers was guarded. Torkoal, Rapidash, and Arcanine gathered around, all with the same defensive stance and hostile look on their faces.   
The pile escaped their notice until it lifted its head. Moltres, one of the three legendary birds, rose up and spread her wings. She didn’t look small anymore, but rather massive. Like the wick of a flame, her body was small but the impact of her flaming body seemed impressive and imposing when she splayed her wings.  
“Who are you four to have come before me now?” asked a regal voice, but tinged with tiredness. Sadness.   
“I am Persian, and with me my mate Houndoom. We were chased from Pokémon Square by those we called friends, who blamed us for the strange weather.”   
Moltres flared at this, becoming briefly too bright. Dominic, who hunkered down in case the bird grew aggressive to his pack, did not like their chances in a fight.  
“And is it you? Is it you who shrouded my desert in snow, cooled my magma flows with wind, and capped this very mountain - the heart of the world! - in ice?”   
“No!” snapped Dominic, suddenly irritable at the false accusation. He pushed a few steps forward, despite the burning heat rolling off the bird. Immediately, Arcanine leapt in front of him, facing him down with his greater height, forcing Houndoom to step back. “We are a rescue team! We help people, we do not affect the weather!” Moltres simmered down a little and, sensing her aggression lessening, Dominic barked out again. “We seek advice. Direction. Where do you believe we should look?” Isabelle cast an irritated look at Dominic. The presence of his own element - fire - and its guardian awakened his fiery personality and made him as hot-headed as that Arcanine.   
Persian stepped forward. “Lady Moltres, we are just as concerned about the weather as you are. We have visited Lord Zapdos, who made entire mountainous areas unpassable in his anger. All I ask for is for you to allow us to further investigate this and clear our name. You are the lady of fire. In your concern for the icy events, your own fire has grown out of control. A fire rages in the Tiny Woods as we speak, nearby Pokémon Square. Please return to your responsibilities.” Rapidash neighed angrily at her but Persian ignored her. She kept her eyes directly on the fiery bird.  
Moltres sighed. Her wings folded back, and though she was still bright and brilliant her form seemed diminished in size again. “I do not know. Houndoom, you are my kin, despite the darkness in your heart. Perhaps you can see Articuno? My kin has a cooler head than I do, perhaps cool enough to have found an answer? She resides in Frosty Forest, if you walk left from the entrance to my mountain then you will find it. But please, leave me to my grief.”   
Dominic bowed, and Izzy too. They turned and padded away silently, sharing a deeply troubled look. If even the Legendary birds did not know what to do, then what chance did they have?


	19. Frosty Forest

Heading further North together on sore paws, Dominic and Isabelle first welcomed the colder air but soon began to detest it. Persian had no defence yet also no weakness to the frigid temperature. Houndoom was doing better; his temper had cooled along with the air and his inner fire kept him warm. Both were yawning despite themselves. When Izzy slipped on a patch of ice, crashing into the ground, they called it a day. The sun was setting, showing the slightest glimpse of an aurora in the sky. Neither Pokémon cared for it at the moment. Curled into each other, they slept under snow-capped trees.   
They awoke late, for the sun was weak here and they had been beyond exhausted. It was bright when they did wake because, though the sun was pale, everything was covered in ice and snow, which reflected the light well. They were both chilled to the bone, and took a few moments to find the courage to pull apart.  
“We should get going,” Dominic said no sooner than they’d stood. “We’ll be warmer if we keep going.” Neither of them really wanted to - the idea of putting an already cold paw into the snow all around them was reprehensible! - but he spoke sense. They moved on slowly.   
The forest was thick, though in some ways that was a blessing. As they got in through the outskirts of it the overhead cover became thick enough that much of the ground was free of snow. It fell in large drifts and occasionally slumped from a tree overhead, but large swathes of the ground was clear, barren dirt. There wasn’t much undergrowth either, for the earth was solid with frost and few things could grow.  
In other ways, it was a curse. Some routes seemed to lead to a dead end, or twist round back on themselves. They wanted to travel north, toward the heart of the forest, but often the only way to do so was to skirt a ways around the edge of an area. There were few other Pokémon; occasionally a Furret would dart off between trees too narrowly together for Dominic to pass through, and once they heard the snuffling of a Piloswine searching for food.   
They met a Lairon, too. The large, fierce steel-type came lumbering out of the sunless gloom with his head lowered, but Dominic’s flame attacks soon sent him skittering backward. In defeat, he was even willing to give them advice on how to continue on; “Head West,” it said, still eyeing them like it wanted another good opening. “Then there’s a fallen tree by a frozen stream, and you can follow that. That will take you to the heart of the forest.”   
Even though they had little reason to trust him - he followed them a while, until it became clear that Persian was much too good at keeping an eye on him even when he was all the way back in the shadows - they didn’t know where else to go. It was mid-afternoon and they were tired, and hungry, and above all a kind of dull, numb coldness had settled in their limbs.   
As they got deeper into the forest, the temperature dropped. The sun left and took its unnoticed yet dearly missed addition to the temperature with it. It was already cold but now there was a slicing arctic wind that penetrated their fur and seemed to cut at their sides. Flurries of snow picked up and swirled around them.  
Out of the night sky something enormous swooped down. It had long, outstretched talons and for a moment Dominic thought it was covered in frost, for it looked icy and blue. The creature resolved to be a bird, at least three meters across. It wasn’t covered in ice; it was ice, or so it seemed.   
Persian reacted first, ramming Dominic to the side. “Articuno!” she hissed, just as the claws of the massive bird tore up the ground on which they’d been standing. The two heroes rolled and staggered to their feet. Reflexively Dominic send a gout of flame toward the bird, who was now towering over them, but Persian again had better sense. She stamped on his paw.  
“Articuno, we just wish to talk!” she implored. The bird pulled his head back and then pushed it forward, spraying shards of ice across the area. Dominic and Persian skittered aside to take cover behind a log, though the former had a long icicle wedged in his hind quarter. He snarled in pain, so Persian kept speaking.  
“Articuno, please!” The bird stepped forward. They could hear it, and feel the temperature drop further. Persian was shivering. “We came from Moltres. We just want to ask about the--”  
Another voice came out. It was too far away to be from Articuno, and besides it was deeper than they would have expected. “Stop, Articuno. Enough. These Pokémon have come to your forest in peace.”   
“Peace?” came the screeching reply. Articuno’s tone was furious. “There is no peace, not with the weather wild and my forest in chaos.”   
“That is not their fault!” The voice was deep, booming, and commanding. He sounded certain. “They have come, as they said, from Moltres. Not to harm, perhaps to help.”   
Articuno screeched again, making their ears ring. “Then they are your problem.” Her beak snapped, and there was the whump, whump, whump of her massive wings lifting her up. She was gone by the time Dominic and Persian dared peek out from their hiding spot.   
When the majestic bird left the vicinity, the air lost its arctic sensation. It was still cold, much colder than Isabelle was comfortable with, but she no longer felt she would perish on the spot.   
“Thanks, buddy,” Houndoom said, padding reasonably good-naturedly over to the Absol, who stood tall and proud. “You did us a solid.”   
“I am simply a follower of justice and act according to its laws,” the Absol replied with a slight bow of his head.   
“Ehm, okay? Does that mean you do not think we’re the cause of … well, all this?” Persian asked. She had tried to sit down to relieve the weight off her paws, but it had made her bum cold, which caused her to quickly regret her decision.   
“No, indeed not. Your idea, that of these birds causing it, is closer to the truth but not entirely there yet either. They’re powerful, yes, but not as powerful as you think they are. At the end of the day, they’re just Pokémon as well. They can reproduce and perish just like we can.”  
“Then, pray tell, what is causing this?! I am sick of running all over the region, running errands, dashing back and forth between Pokémon to figure out a problem they don’t do anything to solve! All they, at Pokémon Square, do all day is hide in their homes, cower, and point at anyone but themselves!” Persian hissed with bristled fur. “How do you think we feel? We come here, with no recollection of the reason why, and are met with suspicion everywhere we go. We’ve been chased away from Pokémon Square! We’re without a home now. I am exhausted, my paws hurt, and I just want to go home!” With a whimper, Persian laid down in the snow, saddened beyond words. Houndoom brushed his snout against his, warming her cold nose with his hot breath.  
“Let me join you on your quest. I will move to Pokémon Square. I will talk to the villagers. I will make them answer my questions. I am just as eager to solve this as you are. Point me to a place I can live and I will meet you there.”  
Dom nodded, gratefully. “There’s a part, deeper in the forest, where the lights like to dance. Will O'Wisps, I think they’re called? Ghost-types frequent the place, calling it the Darkness Ridge. More importantly, two brothers - a Ninetales and a Vulpix - live there mostly alone. Their house has room for you. Those two… they’ve got a reputation in town for being thieves. They’ve estranged from society after their parents disappeared. They could use your help. While scavenging for food, they’ve gathered a lot of information, too.”  
Absol nodded. “That sounds like a wise plan. As for you, I suggest you seek out Queen Ninetales. She’s an authority around here. If she says you’re not a danger, everyone has to obey her. Her word is law, around here. I’m confident she has somewhere you can go and rest.” After that, he leapt off, disappearing into the snow-capped trees.


	20. Mt Freeze

Following Absol’s advice to clear their name, Persian and Houndoom gathered their last energy to climb the frosty mountain called Mt Freeze. That’s where Queen Ninetales was rumoured to live.   
It was bitterly cold, slicing through their fur and making them weary. Even Dominic, heated from within, felt the effects. “Why would a fire type stay in a place like this?” Persian asked, perhaps a little bitter from the chill.  
Dominic thought about it for a few moments. There was no rush; they’d been walking for an eternity and it felt like they’d barely started. “I suppose it’s because she’s a fire type? We have quite the temper on us, and when it’s hot or otherwise wild it can flare up quickly. If she truly is to be a queen, I would think that she needs the cold to calm her. To turn her raging inferno into more of a… an ember.”   
Persian glanced across at her mate and his response, perhaps surprised by the depth to which he had it figured. They were so much like Pokémon now. Their human past seemed so long ago.   
Nevertheless, Isabelle couldn’t wait until they were done here and could go somewhere pleasantly warm. She was sick and tired of her toe beans feeling like ice cubes and of her whiskers having icicles.   
Mt Freeze was used as an immense throne. At all levels of the mountain, Pokémon of Ninetales’s court lived or worked. The higher up the mountain, the more important the Pokémon. The mountain had several lakes inside, Persian noticed, as they climbed up in silence. Seel and Dewgong resided in there, staring at them as the strangers made their way up. Slaking and Zangoose accompanied them soon, as a silent unrequested guard.   
They were moved to a large, flat plateau that was formed at the top of the mountain. A low crater set into the peak protected it from the wind, which lessened the cold just a little. Ninetales herself was lounging on a broad, sparse rock, her forepaws hanging off one end and her vast tails off the other. To one side stood Glalie, clearly there to be her assistant or advisor.   
Dominic and Izzy approached with curious, slow footfalls into the area. Their paws made no noise in the deep snow. Ninetales lifted her head but it was Glalie who spoke first. “What brings you, Persian, and you, Houndoom, before the Queen?” His voice was austere, but not cold. There was genuine curiosity in his luminous blue eyes.   
Dominic’s own fire was cooled up here, so he felt up to speaking on their behalf, at least to start. “Your Majesty. We come to protest our innocence! We have been wrongly accused of causing these natural disasters, simply due to being recent arrivals to Pokémon Square.”  
“And what evidence,” Ninetales said, speaking for herself now, “do you have to support this? It is, after all, convenient timing?”   
Persian piped up. Ninetales hadn’t sounded accusatory and she was hopeful that, just by explaining the situation, the Queen would see sense. “How could we possibly? We are but a pair of mates. We have travelled from Zapdos, to Moltres, to Articuno, and even these great creatures cannot explain this weather. It is beyond any two Pokémon as us!”  
There was a long pause. Ninetales surveyed them, looking from one to another. Dominic, apparently inspired a little, bowed his head respectfully. His eyes didn’t drop from her but it was more than many would receive from him. Subservience did not come naturally to the Houndoom.  
“I believe what you say is true, and that you have been wrongly accused. I had already thought of this myself but wished to hear your take on this. Come.” Ninetales slid smoothly from the stone, her feet landing and her vast array of tails moving silkily in her wake. “I will take you back to Pokémon Square myself, and announce your innocence, lest anyone doubt it. Glalie; you are in charge in my absence.” Glalie bowed, which considering his biology was little more than a forward tip. If the situation wasn’t so dire, Persian would have giggled.   
Ninetales knew the way back down and to the Square, which made for a much more manageable trip. They seemed to make it down the mountain in half the time it took to scale it, and soon they were finding warmth return and making fast progress to Pokémon Square.   
Their arrival drew a great deal of chatter. Friends who had become enemies looked on now in a state of awe as the trio - Dominic, Isabelle, and Queen Ninetales - made for the centre of the town. They walked slowly and by the time they’d gotten to the centre just about everyone had heard that the Queen was among them, along with the presumed traitors.  
Ninetales filled the very centre of the square, with the population spread around the edges. Dominic and Isabelle were near the Queen, though a little to one side, which made the former feel rather self-conscious. He scuffed the ground uncertainly. This was much too formal feeling for him!  
“My loyal subjects.” She didn’t seem to speak very loudly, but her clear voice travelled through the crowds. “I come today with Dominic and Isabelle - the Houndoom and Persian of your village - to proclaim them innocent! They are not the cause of the storms that have wracked our noble lands. Indeed, they arrived upon my request. I sent Gardevoir for them, hoping that they would help to spare us from these destructive forces, and this I believe they will do.” Ninetales’ gaze stopped scanning those around them and settled on Dominic and Isabelle. Dom felt himself almost shrink beneath the intensity of it. “Dominic. Isabelle. Thank you for helping us in our time of need; I know that you will meet this challenge. Be welcome in the village.”   
The crowds didn’t quite cheer nor applaud, but there was a little of both. Tension broke and, when Dominic and Isabelle moved toward the edge of the circle that had formed, they were met with pats, apologies, and the general feelings of warmth and welcome that they’d known initially.  
Now that their reputation as criminals had been absolved, Dom and Izzy were free to go wherever they wished. The inhabitants of the Square were so stunned by the appearance of the Queen that they could slip away to where their hut had stood. As they walked, Persian remembered their hut had been smashed. Her sadness was misplaced, however, because when they reached the spot where their old home had been, an entirely new home was under construction!   
Many Pokémon, such as Diglett, Dugtrio, Caterpie, Butterfree, Makuhita, Pidgey, Spearow, Bellsprout, and many more were helping in the construction. A tall, grey wolf barked orders and kept order. There was something familiar about his voice.   
It wasn’t his voice that made Houndoom perk up. His nostrils flared and a familiar, familial scent filled them. Persian was still trying to place the large canine when Dominic broke into a dash and tackled against his fellow canine. He knocked the other to the floor and they spun, tussling for a moment to get the upper position. Dominic found it in the end, but only because his rival was a little tired already.   
“Pooch!” he bellowed, delightedly. He bit against Mightyena’s throat in a play attack, and the duo wrestled around for another few moments, kicking up mud and dirt. They laughed, and barked, and fought one another in absolutely companionship.  
Slow Persian finally recognised the other dog as well: it was Mightyena!   
Approaching, Persian gently pawed at both of them to get them to stop. Dominic nuzzled his dirty snout against hers affectionately, smearing her fur. They shared each other’s happiness of being reunited with their cub. As Dominic went to investigate the building happening nearby, Persian approached Mightyena, who was keeping a leash on his excitement around the feline to match her calmer nature.  
Isabelle rubbed her snout against Pooch’s. She licked his nose and throat, grooming the messy fur. As a Poochyena, he had been a rather messy cub and the care for his pelt hadn’t improved when evolving. Futilely, she tried to smooth his fur down, inspecting his wounds. His paws had little wounds and on his snout was a scar. He seemed rather sore as well but only his foster-parents, being Dom and Izzy, could see that. All the others saw was a handsome, battle-scarred Mightyena. Isabelle saw some Pidgey and Butterfree stare at him and sigh longingly. It made her feel old.  
“So, what is this?” Dominic asked as he laid down in the spring-like sun in front of the construction. “Is someone moving in at our old spot?”   
Mightyena shook her head. “Nah. This spot is still yours. These are all Pokémon that felt bad for chasing you out, for acting like willess Mareep, that we got together to build your house again as a sign that, to us, you’re still one of us and still welcome. I couldn’t have done it without Firefly, though. He’s got a way with words that makes everyone love him.”  
“Who’s Firefly?” Persian asked.  
“I’m Firefly!” A voice called out. A chubby Volbeat came flying over. His wings hummed in a deep baritone, matching his voice. The smile on his face made Persian immediately like him. “The amazing Dominic and Isabelle! How much I’ve heard about you from Mightyena here. He’s truly called Pooch? I thought he was pulling my leg.”   
Dominic barked a laugh. “Yup. Back from when he was a Poochyena, we called him Pooch. The name stuck.”   
“Well, it’s a pleasure to meet you two. The stories do not do you justice. Houndoom is much more handsome than anyone ever told me. And look at you, Persian. Even weary from your exile, you’re much more lovely than any Persian I have ever seen before. Or any of the felines, in that case.”  
Persian purred, clearly pleased to hear such praise. Which vain feline didn’t like compliments?   
“The new house will be great! There will be multiple bedrooms and even an attic, though the space doesn’t have use yet. Storage, maybe,” Mightyena continued and talked more business with Dom, who was surprisingly interested in building a proper den.   
“Say, Firefly. If you’re so good with Pokémon, would you like to work for us? You can reside in that attic if you want, having your own entrance through the window. You seem to be close to Pooch, as well. We’d need you to hear out the people to find us more jobs and possibly help us with our main quest; which is to rescue this land from destruction. We need to find out what’s causing these natural disasters.”  
“It’d be my pleasure, my lady,” the chubby Volbeat said, dipping forward in a flamboyant bow. Persian purred and headbutted him, causing him to float backwards with an indignant gasp. Laughing, she followed him, pretending to try to bite him just to play. The glee at being home made her playful.

When the night fell, the construction was finished. The house was done, with its three chambers and little cosy hole upstairs. Volbeat had gone home for the night to gather his belongings. Mightyena was exhausted from home-building and fell asleep swiftly in his own room. Dominic and Persian stayed awake for a while, warming up thoroughly before falling asleep together.


	21. Wish Cave

For a few days after returning home from exile, life was perfect. To recover from that harrowing ordeal, Houndoom and Persian mostly rested inside their new home or did minor rescue and delivery missions to nearby locations, such as the Tiny Woods. Considering the fact Poochyena had been able to do them almost alone, the difficulty wasn’t too high. So within a few days, wounds had mostly healed, weight had been gained back, and they no longer felt so exhaustedly tired. Firefly, the Volbeat, had been an amazing help, bringing food and informing about some small quests. His presence delighted Persian. His upbeat view of life made her smile. The Volbeat slept for a long time at morning but was always up to accompany them to the reasonably safe locations in the near vicinity.   
After a visit to their friends Delcatty and Arcanine in the Energetic Forest, Dominic, Isabelle, and Pooch were halted by an old enemy. It was Medicham: the same one that used to be in Team Meanies before it was disbanded by Queen Ninetales. Both Mightyena and Persian hissed at him, crouching down on their haunches. When Medicham flinched but made no move to defend himself, Dominic stepped forward. He tipped his head up. “Yes, Medicham?” he spoke as deeply and clearly as he could manage. He’d spoken his share to the legendary birds. The experience showed; he managed to sound surprisingly in control.  
Medicham took a step forward and they met in the middle, each trying to hold their pride and yet move past their conflicted past. “I need your help,” Medicham said, almost spitting the words in distaste. He twisted a foot into the ground, and kicked up a cud of dirt. “It is my friend, Ekans.”  
At this Dominic softened. His head tipped down and he adopted a slightly more considerate stance. “Well… I am sorry about that. What happened to him? We’ll assist, if we can,” he promised, while casting around to ensure Persian agreed. Persian was still crouched down, baring her teeth at him. Vicious as felines were known to be, Isabelle was slow to forgive.  
“Izzy,” Dominic said in a low voice, but an earnest one. “Imagine if we could not save Poochyena. Would we not accept help, even from them, in that situation? The unity of a pack is more important than our personal troubles with them.”   
“His pack attacked ours! Their weakness is our chance!” She hissed this softly at him.   
Dominic shook his head decisively. As keen as she was to attack, he was to defend. “And if their pack were together, we would show them who’s best, but there’s no pride in assaulting their forces -- or abusing the fact that they’ve lost a friend.”   
Making a sound as if she spat out a hairball, she raised herself up, looking down at Medicham despite her shorter height. “Fine.” 

Wish Cave was a magical place, brightening Persian’s mood. The lower levels of the seemingly unending dungeon was popular with young Pokémon, judging from the amount of Caterpie, Cleffa, Beldum, and Togepi around. The walls glistened prettily. Whether it was gems, magic, water, or a Pokémon’s influence that caused this was unknown to Isabelle.   
“So, is this the same Ekans from back then, with that fight over Metapod in the Creepy Woods?” Pooch, the Mightyena asked.  
“Sinister Woods, and yes. Afraid so,” Isabelle corrected.   
Mightyena growled lowly, startling a few Rattata nearby. “I remember him. He hurt me a lot with his Bind. I can’t wait to settle the score”  
“Poochy!” Dominic snapped, with a sudden boom of a woof in his voice that surprised the other canine. Dominic was still bigger than Mightyena, and he could pull rank when he had to. It didn’t happen often, but in that moment his voice was like a lightning bolt. A low snarl followed, and Poochyena turned to listen to his once-mentor and father-figure,   
“We are here to rescue Ekans, not to take our revenge! We will find him and bring him home safely. Nothing more. Settle your score once he’s safe and recovered, if you must.” Poochyena kept his head down submissively, but he nodded it slightly.  
Persian rubbed the length of her body against Dom’s, purring affectionately. The display of dominance instantly ignited her love and desire for him. Old enough to understand what’s going on, Mightyena dashed on ahead, inspecting a branching pathway.   
“I’m sorry for earlier. That Fighting-type has a bad influence on me. I don’t trust him one bit and still don’t care about his Ekans friend either. But, as you said, a pack is a pack. Do forgive me,” she purred, rubbing her head against his again.  
Dom takes a moment to breathe. He’d been on the edge of losing his cool, a dangerous territory for a Fire-type, and he nodded his head while he soothed himself. “I understand. I don’t care for them either. Come on; Mightyena will be getting in trouble.” He offered her a smile, a quick but affectionate nuzzle, then bounded on.

“Over here!”   
Mightyena’s voice called out from the path he went to explore. Dashing towards the source of the noise, they found the unconscious snake underneath some rubble. It seems he had been surprised by the falling rocks as he slithered his way out of here. A glistening stone covered in saliva and poison laid a bit further, having probably come from Ekans’ mouth. Houndoom and   
Mightyena dug at the stones, pawing them out of the way as Persian took the snake by the scruff (or lack thereof) and yanked it out of the way, ignoring Dom’s growls when she wasn’t being very gentle.   
When Mightyena sprayed the snake with light rubble as he caused a stone to shatter, Dominic lost it. He flung himself at Mightyena with a roar, who instantly whined and dropped himself on his back. With the pup’s scruff between his teeth, Houndoom growled something too low for Persian to hear.  
Startled by this show of annoyance with their lack of respect, Persian dragged Ekans away a bit gentler now, laying him down softly when he was finally freed from the rocks. Had he always been this long? Surely, he’s close to evolving with this length. Glancing at the spat-out rock, Isabelle put it in the pouch she always carried. 

Medicham was utterly relieved to have the unconscious snake back, who was curled around Dominic’s body on the way back. Ekans didn’t seem to remember the rock he took or stole and Isabelle never mentioned it either. It did receive a nice spot in their home.


	22. Uproar Forest

A massive line of Pokémon had formed at Pokémon Square. Persian and Mightyena were out for supplies while Houndoom still slept in their hut. The Pokémon had a flighty look in their eyes and some of the cubs were obviously afraid.   
“What do you think happened, Mother?” Poochy asked.  
“Not sure. Are they fugitives? They look like they fled from somewhere and are looking for shelter.”   
“Fled from who or what?” Mightyena mused, but Persian did not answer.  
In the middle of the square, Kangaskhan directed the Pokémon around, allowing some to stay in the areas nearby and sending some away to nearby regions where they might find shelter. Those with families, unable to travel far, were allowed to stay and were given temporary housing.  
“Oh, what a mess. I never realised quite how many Pokémon lived in this world,” Isabelle said.

“Ah, Persian. Good to see you!” A booming voice called out. It was Tyranitar, from Team ATC. She and Charizard and Alakazam waded through the sea of Pokémon to approach Isabelle. Dominic and Isabelle had a special relationship with this team. Charizard had played a double spy and guided them into safety during their brief exile. Alakazam had always been the voice of reason while most Pokémon let themselves be guided by instinct or feelings. Tyranitar was a very motherly creature, maybe even more so than Kangaskhan, who had taken Plusle and Minun away from Persian. Isabelle wasn’t even allowed to see them, still suspected of being a bad mother.  
“Hello all. On your way with a new mission?” Persian replied cheerfully, ignoring Mightyena’s look of awe when faced with the most influential team of Pokémon Square.  
“Yeah. Groudon’s been difficult. A grouch, as usual. His volcano’s about to erupt, thanks to him. We’re going to try and talk him out of it. We don’t need that kind of trouble,” Tyranitar said  
“Speaking of trouble, what’s going on here?”   
“These Pokémon fled Uproar Forest, which is behind Mt Steel. A gang of an unknown number of Mankey are causing a lot of trouble there. Some say there are as many as forty, but others speak of only three. Nevertheless, they’re very aggressive, causing many Pokémon to flee the region and seek shelter elsewhere, including here.”  
“That’s terrible!” Mightyena exclaimed. “Who’s doing something about it?”   
“Not us. We’ve got more important things to do,” growled Charizard. “Why don’t you go? Hm? I’d like to see you fight off a few apes.”   
Mightyena growled back. “Maybe I will! Someone’s gotta defend the Pokémon!”   
With an annoyed sigh, Persian tugged on Mightyena’s ear and made him turn back home, telling him to wake Houndoom. They were going out.

Uproar Forest was lovely, really. It had the tallest trees Persian had seen with branches everywhere, both low-hanging and way up above, blocking the sunlight. She could see why apes loved to come here. Some Seedot still hung in the trees, unhurried and undisturbed. They had not been bullied away.  
Flashes of purple proved to be the Aipom, a kind of ape with an additional hand on their tail. This gang was a flighty set, who barely pointed north before leaving hurriedly. Team Dizzy didn’t need their help for they could hear the screams of the Mankey.   
Truth be told, Persian was not looking forward to fighting Mankey. Although type-differences weren’t everything, fighting types like Medicham earlier and Mankey now could seriously hurt her. They agitated her most, as well. A loud shriek sounded from somewhere up above. The battle had started.

The Mankey attacked from overhead, but Dominic met one of their descents with a hot blast of flame. It screeched in enraged pain and the battle was on. Persian pounced another as it landed, though it rolled aside, while Mightyena tackled into the one that was still trying to pat the flames from his body.   
One of them managed to catch onto the top of Dominic. He held on fast onto his horns and started to smack the back of the Houndoom’s skull, and shake as he might Dominic could not dislodge the furious fighting type.   
But Team Dizzy were a much more uniform team than the gaggle of very angry, wild Mankey. Isabelle lunged almost immediately and dislodged Dom’s assailant, bearing him down. They tangled in a rolling tumbleweed of fur and the feline came out on top, snarling and pinning her prey. Mightyena had held his own and now Dominic roared so ferociously at the third one that he turned and ran. Dominic caught him and brought him down easily.  
There was one twist remained. The Mankey Persian had pinned managed to snatch a wrist free and used it to clout the side of her head in a single, rough punch, drawing a little blood. He slipped away while she was stunned and bounded for safety. They could not afford to let the Mankey go unpunished, however, and Persian knew this.   
The green gem set against her forehead started to glow bright with the intensity of her frustration. She bid the Mankey stop running, and a lance of purest, white light with a hint of green bolted forward. It struck Mankey, who went limp in the air and crashed to the ground, stunned. Persian whimpered, took half a step, then sunk to both knees. Her head was throbbing thunderously and she rested it against the earthy-smelling soil.   
Mightyena wound up the three ruffians and ran a rope around them while they were worn out. Dominic headed across to his mate, and nuzzled her. “Are you alright, Izz?” he checked, with concern in his voice.  
She nodded, weakly, then immediately stilled her head. “My head aches,” she complained, bitterly. Dominic rested against it briefly in solidarity.   
“I saw what you did, Izz. That was Power Gem. No wonder it took a lot out of you! We can take a little break, to let you catch your strength.”   
Isabelle nodded, and found a shaded nook to settle down in. The canines guarded the tied up Mankey. It was like this that Arcanine - Delcatty’s mate, and friend to both Dominic and Isabelle - arrived. He sported a brand-new bandana, wrapped around his neck. There were several others with him, but Arcanine stepped forward.   
“You caught them!” he announced, nodding to the Mankey but facing Dominic.   
“We did, between us. What’s this?” Dominic’s attention had been seized by the bandana and he nosed at it curiously. His nostrils sniffed.   
“Bandana. We put together a little police force, with all that’s been going on. They decided I would make a good sheriff, for now anyway.” His chest was proudly puffed out, though he sounded a little uncertain, too. He scanned the others and his long, powerful teeth flashed in a grin. “You’d be welcome to join?”  
Dominic barked a laugh and shook his head. “I have my role, Arcanine,” he stated clearly. Pooch looked from one to the other, then nodded his head in slightly uncertain agreement.   
Finally, Persian rose and padded from her secluded corner. “Mightyena has barely evolved, he’s much too young to be in a police force,” she said, and yawned loudly. Mightyena hung his head, but did not argue.   
Leaving the newly formed police corps to do their thing, Houndoom, Persian, and Mightyena went home for well-deserved rest. Before they went to sleep, though, Dominic and Isabelle celebrated the new move learnt by Persian intimately.


	23. Northern Range

Feeling about as sore as they had when they returned from their exile, Houndoom and Persian laid together in a cart that jerked horribly. However, it felt like a bed of Mareep wool with how comfortable they were, lying cuddled together. Two Tauros pulled the cart, which was their only job that day. Persian and Houndoom had left with them early in the morning to gather building materials such as reeds from the lake, vines from the more tropical forests, and even some clay that was horrid to dig up. The fire-types could blast it into a hard substance easily though, which was of paramount importance when building houses. After the events in Uproar Forest had calmed down, a massive relocation seemed to be happening. Pokémon migrated to seek their fortune elsewhere. Some moved to Pokémon Square for new jobs, intrigued by the new police force. Some moved back to the realms of the Legendary Birds, who had calmed down and made the areas habitable again.   
Fire and some flying types had gone to Moltres at Mt Blaze, electric and some poison types have joined the stern Zapdos at Mt Thunder, and Ice and rock types now serve under the gentle Articuno. Because of the influx of new Pokémon, some additional houses are needed. That’s why Persian and Houndoom were out today to lend a paw. Isabelle had been rather restless the last few days. The young Plusle and Minun, who had followed Izzy briefly, have moved to Mt Thunder. Despite not having been a very good mother-figure to them, Isabelle did miss them and worry for them. It made her feel rather conflicted. She did not feel any better when Mightyena showed up for dinner and did not join the men as they played with a ball outside with some Growlithe pups. Therefore, Dominic had suggested they’d volunteer for manual labour to take her mind off things. Despite the fact that the Persian now felt filthy and very sore, her mind was at rest  
Leaping off the cart at Pokémon Square, cheering could be heard. In the middle of the crowd, three tall Pokémon stood: a Blastoise, an Octillery, and a Golem. None of these Pokémon seemed familiar to Persian or Houndoom. Mightyena was one of the Pokémon keeping order, despite not even being part of the police force yet. Not that the Pokémon of Pokémon Square needed him to be. A few growls was all that’s needed to prevent the enthusiastic crowd from ganging up on the three popular Pokémon.   
“Yo, Pooch, what’s up?” Dominic asked as he padded closer.   
“Houndoom! Hey! Hello, Persian. These brave heroes have volunteered to search for Team ATC who have not yet returned from their mission to appease Groudon,” Mightyena replied, sounding in awe. The crowd around them cheered again.   
“Well, brave heroes, I wish you the best of luck,” Isabelle said with a graceful bow of her head. 

“Thief! Thief! Stop the thief! Stop the … oh,” a high-pitched cry came, cut off by a whoosh of air. All that could be seen was a Pokémon soaring away through the sky, due North.   
“Wow. That one is fast,” sighed a Pidgey, almost as if he were jealous.   
“They stole my TMs! All of them!” The Kecleon shopkeeper was still bouncing on top of his stall, indignantly. No one paid him much mind.   
“We know where they went. Let’s go!” Dominic told Isabelle and he dashed off. Persian groaned and then took off after Houndoom. Blastoise, Octillery, and Golem looked quite confused when their spotlight was stolen. 

There wasn’t any doubt in either Dominic or Isabelle that they were to help. Wordlessly Dominic pointed with his snout along the road that would give them the best chance of chasing. He erupted into motion and ate up the ground in great, leaping bounds. Persian was a moment late off the mark, but was soon keeping pace with him -- and making it look easy.   
They sped out along the road leading north out of town, making good time but without much hope actually catch up with the flying creature. They saw its destination though. “Northern Range,” purred Isabelle, referring to a strip of water-locked, small mountains that curved around the top of Pokémon Square on a map. Dominic nodded.  
As they grew closer it became necessary to swim. Dominic lunged forward and doggy-paddled his way across. Isabelle was much less willing to upset her fur, but that only gave Dominic time to snuffle around. By the time she was across, looking disdainfully at her now matted fur, he had it.  
“A scent! Come!” He set off again, bounding along the edge of the mountain till they found a way up and in. A Hoothoot watched, quietly, from a small, gnarled tree near the entrance.   
The tunnel that Dominic had found twisted and wound its way up, following a singular course but occasionally opening up to large caverns that were open to the wind. Here birds roosted. In one there was a row of four Pidgeot, cawing softly to one another. They seemed to be two pairs, preferring the safety of staying together. Whether they had Pidgey could not be seen. A Fearow swooped a wide circle and darted toward Pidgeot, who had to scramble but soon came around and chased the nuisance away. Dominic grinned, but they did not slow down.   
There were other Pokémon too. Spinarak and Ledian were common, though kept their distance from the larger Pokémon of the rescue team. Once there was a Seviper, who came slithering after them a while but was unable to keep up. Dominic and Isabelle didn’t have time to battle; they had to get to wherever that smell was coming from!  
They eventually came to an upper chamber. One whole end of it was open and had a wonderful view back out over the lowlands they’d come from, though the tunnel they’d taken was the only route that didn’t involve flying. Pokémon Square was even visible down below, which was really neat. The rest of the room was dominated by a raised platform, on which their quarry stood, picking through the emptied-out bagful of TMs.   
Latios was much larger than either of them. He had a large, white-and-blue body with a long neck, angular wings, and a pointed, sharp-looking head. He turned to spot Dominic and Persian, reared back, screeched, and then attacked.   
Latios lunged for them and they darted to either side. Dominic swivelled in the air and let loose a burst of fire, but it skittered off Latios’ hide. Persian, on the other hand, recovered fast and pounced, scraping her claws furiously across Latios. She tried to bite the back of his neck and wrestle him down, but he was strong.  
The flying Pokémon pulled away. His Dragon Breath scorched across both of them and Dominic yelped in pain. Persian grit her teeth and skittered backward. “Busy him!” she called, and Dominic nodded. He didn’t know how, but lunged toward Latios. The dragon dipped back and prepared another Dragon Breath, but Dominic was fast and moved to attack again. The one time Latios did clear enough space Dominic roared so fiercely that small rocks fell from the ceiling, and Latios froze long enough that he could tackle into him.  
Dominic wasn’t doing damage, but Isabelle had taken to the central podium in the room. It hurt her head to do so but she poured all her spirit and strength - which was considerable - into her gem. It glowed bright green, then with a high pitched noise a beam of light shot forward. It caught Latios in the side and he stumbled against the rock, smashing a stalagmite. Dominic chased him down and pinned his prone body, but the fight was done.  
“You can’t just take things!” Dominic barked, while Persian shook her head and came trotting across to join them. She nodded, but her head hurt so the canine lead the interrogation. Latios was sore and let out a weak little whine.  
“I know! I just… I’m desperate. My mate, Latias, she…” He shook his head and turned away. The shame was thick in his expression, and it softened Dominic. Persian was a little more relentless.   
“What about Latias?” she demanded, moving forward to place a couple of her own paws on the side of Latios’ form. “Where is she?”   
“Gone!” cried out Latios, clearly bereft. He shook his head. “I wanted those so that I could be strong… Strong enough to save her! She crashed in Pitfall Valley and I… It’s not safe there. I can’t…”   
Dominic spoke up, cutting him off. “We’ll go.” He looked across to Isabelle for agreement, and she bobbed her head. “We’ll go and save Latias, if we can, but you have to return these TMs! Or I’ll come here and arrest you!”   
Latias agreed. He gave them directions and promised, multiple times, to return the stolen goods. Dominic trusted his word. “C’mon Izz. We’re going to Pitfall Valley.”   
They started to walk back down the tunnel out of the mountain and Isabelle yawned a wide, feline yawn. “This is much more interesting than labour,” she purred, nuzzling into his side for a moment.   
He growled appreciatively and nipped her ear. “Most nights with you are.”  
Persian hissed a laugh. “Then I look forward to getting home. My paws are sore from digging up clay. I’ve even got muck under my claws.” She frowned at her muddy paws.


	24. Pitfall Valley

The biggest valley inside the Northern Range was called Pitfall Valley. This area was a treacherous place because of its natural traps. Spikes and mud, entangling vines and deep holes, to name a few. It was one of the most unfortunate places for a Pokémon to get trapped and unfortunately, a common location. While Latios’ distraught story had not provided many clues what happened to Latias or where she was, it was clear that she had been attacked by something powerful enough to shoot such a swift-flying Pokémon out of the sky.  
While Latios brought the TMs back to Pokémon Square, Persian and Houndoom entered the valley to seek clues as to where the fallen Pokémon may be. However, the mood was tense in the valley. Whatever Pokémon they managed to encounter would not answer their questions and dashed away in fear. Ledyba and Hoppip cowered away. Pidgeot and Swellow ignored them yet they never flew above the trees.  
“What are they so scared of?” Isabelle wondered.  
“I don’t know, but I don’t like it. Pidgeot are courageous birds, usually.” Houndoom answered.  
The two continued on, keeping their heads ducked and their ears primed for any sound indicating danger. Despite the relatively calm surroundings, neither Pokémon felt comfortable. Realising this was their most dangerous rescue mission yet, the pair moved swiftly and silently. They did not need to speak; their bond and experience with each other was enough.  
Occasionally, they would discover extraordinary scorch marks unlike anything they’ve seen before in the Valley. Most Pokémon that inhabited the Valley were flying types, but even a fire type could not have made such marks. Maybe a Tyranitar, but neither Izzy nor Dom were aware a Tyranitar lived down here.  
After dashing for a short while, a trail could be found where Latias presumably had crashed. She apparently had slid a long way, judging from the uprooted plants.  
“Let’s go,” Dominic barked and off they went, following the trail.  
“Wait!” Isabelle hissed, biting Dom’s tail to get him to stop. Something was very wrong. Without even asking what is wrong, Houndoom crouched down and hid in the foliage as they approached where Latias had ended up.   
Latias was cornered. She was curled around, her long neck twisting to guard her body and the shape of her tail hooked around to protect that. She shivered a little and looked hurt… Weak, like she’d already had her fight.   
Her aggressor was slowly stalking forward, snarling menacingly. He was on two feet but used the small hands on the fore of his wings like they were more feet. The wings themselves angled up beside him. He was larger than Latias, covered in grey, smooth skin that smelled vaguely like burnt fur. His head was large with a powerful lower jaw lined with small, sharp teeth. Aerodactyl shrieked loud enough to send some Swablu fleeing in fear and drew back ready to land a finishing blow on Latias.   
Dominic’s protective instincts kicked in and he came bolting from cover, fire erupting from him in a roar of primal, unchanneled ferocity. Aerodactyl looked around and up, just in time to be met by Persian’s more patient - but ultimately more effective - shot. Her gem glowed white and then lanced forward and struck the ancient Pokémon, who recoiled back and shrieked a high pitch squeal.  
Aerodactyl rushed forward and beat his wings to get airborne, but his weight made him slow. Dominic lunged and caught the side of him with a paw heavy enough to ruin the balance needed to get to the air, and he chased Aerodactyl with a burst of his Flamethrower. The ancient Pokémon was tough and his hide seemed resistant to both attacks, though he was singed twice over now.  
Persian came bolting from the brush with impressive speed. Aerodactyl turned to drive his head against Dominic, sending the impressive Houndoom tumbling aside, but Persian took the opening and tackled against it. They both turned one over the other and Dominic hadn’t a good shot.  
His heart sank when he saw that the winged Pokémon had come out on top, rearing back to clamp his mouth down. His fangs sparked with lightning. Dominic had a good view but any fire he used would strike Persian too. He struggled to his feet and started powering forward, hoping he could land a paw on the ancient, Flying Pokémon in time.   
He didn’t. Instead Latias, who had found her feet, was standing with white-glowing eyes, staring at Aerodactyl. Psychic energy spewed forward, making the air thick and electric with it. It was worst for the target. Aerodactyl tossed his head back and screamed again, then started to run and beat his wings. He jumped and gained a few feet and slowly, slowly started to escape.  
Persian remained on the ground. The weight of the Aerodactyl had flattened her and driven all air out her lungs. Additionally, the psychic attack had increased the headache the gem attack cost her. Isabelle seemed very sensitive to psychic attacks, which was not a development she was pleased with.   
Dominic immediately came trotting to Isabelle and leaned in, nuzzling and licking her cheek to make sure she was alert. She whimpered softly to him, lifting her head to brush her snout against his, which was still warm from the fire that had erupted from it. It was strangely comforting. Latias was briefly forgotten by the pair. While Dominic and Izzy took a moment to collect themselves, however, Latios returned. The blue Pokémon nestled his larger body under Latias’s and used his strength to get both of them airborne.   
“Where can I find you?” Latios asked, his voice strained with effort.  
“East of Pokémon Square. A two-story hut. Ask for Firefly. He can help you,” Dominic answered, helping his own mate back to her feet. Incapable to travelling today, Isabelle spent the night in the cave they had found Latios in, earlier that day, before she could return home.


	25. Magma Cavern

As Persian and Houndoom walked home casually, they discussed their plans regarding the future of this universe. While the Legendary Birds have calmed down some, unnatural heatwaves and snowstorms still alternated, followed by severe thunderstorms. It was clear all wasn’t solved yet. The only good they’ve done was that the Birds took better care of the areas they guarded over, so that many Pokémon were able to find a safe home.   
Much rested on the shoulders of those who had gone to Groudon, in the hopes of appeasing him. As usual, Groudon had been grumpy, erupting his volcano, but he’d been especially bad the last weeks, agitated by the excessively unpredictable weather.  
As Dominic and Isabelle slowly passed through the village, Chansey ran frantically around, shrieking at each other as if the biggest disaster had happened. Because Persian was still hindered by her migraine, Houndoom tried to stop one of the nursing Pokémon to get them to look at his mate.  
“Excuse me?” He was ignored.  
“Excuse me!” The second Chansey ran past him as well.   
“Excuse me?!” He roared, spitting fire in his anger. Next to him, Persian chuckled at this display of temper that came with being a fire-type. It seemed that Dominic was becoming more and more a Pokémon every day. It wouldn’t be so bad to stay like this. Stay in this universe.  
A Chansey, startled by Dominic’s fury, hobbled over.   
“How can I help you?” She asked in her characteristic, high voice.   
“Finally,” he growled, impatiently, startling the nursing Pokémon. “My mate’s been affected by some psychic type and needs help. Also, her Power Gem attack backfires often.”   
“Poor thing. Come with me, honey. You! Cool down!” Houndoom flinched and took a step back while the pink Pokémon took his feline mate with her to where the sick were nursed back to health. Dejected, Houndoom stalked off to seek out Mightyena. 

Inside the hospital, most of the cushions were occupied by fallen heroes, such as the team that had gone to beg Groudon for help: Blastoise, Octillery, and Golem. Despite their typing being supposedly advantageous against fire types such as Groudon, the Pokémon’s sheer power destroyed them. It was heart-breaking to see such strong Pokémon doubt their value. A burnt water-type is not a happy Pokémon. It dents their pride heavily.   
Isabelle rested on the pillow, relieved to be comfortable again after having slept outside for a day or two. One Chansey was preparing something eggy to eat, mixed with berries, while another massaged her sore back and neck.   
“Why didn’t your mother teach you how to properly use Power Gem?” Chansey scolded.   
“I taught myself,” Persian replied with a hiss, causing the nurse to back off a little.   
“Well, I still believe someone should have taught you.”  
“Believe as you wish,” Izzy said as she slowly got up from the bed. The pink Pokémon was getting on her nerves. “I’m out of here.” Ignoring the protests of anything remotely pink, the feline left the tent.   
Outside, two canines sat guard, sitting sideways so that they could both watch the entrance and guard for enemies. When the sore Persian exited, two tails began wagging excitedly, causing Isabelle to laugh.   
“Let’s go home. I imagine Firefly to be so worried. Maybe he has some new info for us as well.” 

The chubby Volbeat was very happy to see both Dominic and Isabelle again. He kept buzzing around them, swaying to and fro because of his weight, chattering happily. There were many letters of request, assembled and sent by the Post Office, considering only few Pokémon could write but almost all of them could read. Missing items, escort missions, and similar requests.   
“How long has the Groudon squad been back, Firefly?” Persian asked as she slowly lowered herself onto her own bed, resting her aching head on her paws.   
“Not long. They crawled back into town before dawn. One of the Chansey was overheard gossiping and soon the entire town knew,” came the reply. Isabelle sighed and Dominic growled in anger.   
“So the cowards here laugh at fallen heroes? They at least tried. That’s much more that can be said for most Pokémon here. I am aware not everyone is fit for battle, but there is more to do than just hide. The refugee houses aren’t done yet, are they? Or the food storage increased?” The shake of Firefly’s head told Dominic what he needed to know. Flickers of flame escaped his maw as he shook his head, as if trying to dispel the anger.  
“Yeah!” Mightyena agreed with a bark.   
“You know what?” Dominic said, standing tall. “We’ll show them! We’ll go to Groudon!”  
“Yeah!” Mightyena barked, earning him an annoyed glance from Persian. Nothing could discourage Pooch’s admiration for the Houndoom.   
“That is a terrible idea. Groudon is much more dangerous than Skarmory, than Zapdos, even worse than Aerodactyl! This is suicide!”  
“Well, why else did we come here for? To help the Pokémon here!” Dominic countered.   
“Yes! To help them! Not to die in vain!” Persian retorted, raising herself from the pillow.  
“Please! Guys, please! Don’t fight!” Firefly got in between the agitated Pokémon. For once, Mightyena kept quiet. “Team ATC is planning on going as well. You should go together! Meet them at the base of the volcano. Maybe you can convince Groudon together.”   
“Yeah!” Mightyena barked, causing Isabelle to groan and hiss at him. 

At the foot of the volcano, Houndoom, Persian, and Mightyena met up with Team ATC. Alakazam seemed to feel faint as he rested just outside one of the many entrances while Tyranitar and Charizard argued loudly, while roaring and flapping wings to emphasise their points. Mightyena shrank back, intimidated, but Isabelle and Dominic were not too concerned.   
“Master Alakazam! Are you quite alright?” Mightyena asked, bounding forward to check on the psychic type on the ground.   
“Oh, young one. Yes, I am alright. The Magma Cavern’s temperature is too much for me, however. I cannot go in,” he said in a feeble voice.   
“I feared as much as well. Groudon’s presence would burn me,” Isabelle sighed.   
“No! I am not going in without you!” Dominic barked, pressing his forehead against hers, feeling her gem between his horns.   
“You’ve got to. I’m in no shape to fight or argue either way.”  
“But you always deal with the conversation. You’re good at that, Izz,” Dom whined quietly.   
“I fully believe in you. You can do this. Besides, you’re not alone. Tyranitar and Charizard will be with you. Just … come back safely to me, okay? I couldn’t bear losing you to such a grouch,” Persian whimpered. Houndoom didn’t reply but rubbed his snout against hers. Isabelle didn’t want to think that this may be the last time she inhaled his campfire smell or felt his hot breath against her whiskers.   
He stayed in the embrace a bit longer before leaving with Tyranitar and Charizard of Team ATC, forming a temporary team. Mightyena, Persian, and Alakazam stayed behind. Persian sat in front of the entrance, waiting until Dominic would return while Mightyena helped out the elderly psychic type.

Charizard, Tyranitar and Houndoom continued into the vast chamber, following the dull, earthy rumbles from within. The tunnel they followed was wide, smooth and reasonably straight. If Dominic had paid attention during his schooling, he’d recognise it as a lava vent.   
“Pretty tunnel,” Dom grumbled to his companions, who each nodded. Their tunnel did eventually hook to the left, and open into a large chamber.  
It was extremely hot within, and wafts of air brushed across them. It was good that they were fire types and welcomed it; for anyone else it would be uncomfortable. The entire place was lit by the reddish glow of lava flows running in the corners of the room and occasionally spitting upward.   
Dominating the space was their quarry. Groudon was vast, towering over even the large Charizard and Tyranitar, nevermind Dominic. He had forward hunched shoulders and a broad, flat tail. His skin was deep red, reminiscent of the lava, and his body was covered in armoured plates and spines beside. He stood up on two legs but seemed so brutish that he hunched forward. Both intruders stopped in their tracks and shared a nervous glance. This wasn’t a fight they could even begin to fathom fighting. They would have to - Xatu help them - talk it out.   
“Groudon!” hollered Houndoom, catching the attention of the enormous, lumbering Pokémon, who turned his head slowly toward them. He appraised both Houndoom and Charizard and, finding them apparently lacking, threw his head back and let out a deep gruff.   
“Look at you, little candle types. What do you need with me, the heart of a volcano?”  
Charizard reeled a little, and even Houndoom’s pride was prickled. Candles?! He underestimated them! It was one of the larger Pokémon - Charizard - who spoke up first, spitting cinders as he did. “You need to stop with the volcano, it is causing great trouble to the other Pokémon.”   
“Is that so?” He thumped his heavy tail on the ground and let out a deep booming peal of laughter. “Good!”  
Houndoom took a few steps forward. It was hot down here, even to him, but his pride was poked and his protectivity aroused. “Not good! There are many friendly Pokémon… Even cold ones.”  
“Cold like you?” He seemed amused again, and again he thundered his tail against the ground. The ground rumbled in response and there was a surge of sulphurous heat, issuing up around them. “I am a volcano, Pup! You are an ember. A smouldering coal.”   
As though in unison, Charizard and Houndoom let loose eruptions of flame that shot to the air and made it shimmer with the heat. Tyranitar roared and it made pebbles tumble loose from the ceiling, to clatter against the ground around them. Their attacks were not designed to hit anything, but to show off. Still, Groudon had to roll his shoulders and admit that perhaps they were not as feeble as his words implied. He didn’t seem impressed so much as begrudging.  
“Ha! Save your puny flashfires,” he said, though it was without some of the venom from before.  
“Flashfires my rump,” Dominic grumbled, but he kept his head down and glared at Groudon. His words had been softly spoken.  
“Fine!” The Pokémon inhabiting the volcano snarled, before letting out a deep roar of frustration. “Fine! I will spare the frigid lands.”

For now, Groudon would not erupt the volcano, but the danger was far from over. There must be a reason for this aggressive behaviour of the so-called guardians of this universe. More work was needed before everyone was safe.


	26. Falling Stars

During the journey back from Groudon’s lair, Isabelle laughed at hearing how the temper of the fire-types caused a conflict. As a more stoic normal-type, she wasn’t nearly as hot-headed as her mate was.  
“Why must you guys always compare who has the biggest, brightest flame?” She asked, laughing. Houndoom snarled, vaguely annoyed. He adored Isabelle, but she had no idea what it was to be a fiery hound! These things were important.   
“Because it matters! It determines our entire worth as a fire-type!” Dominic argued.  
“You do realise we’re not Pokémon, right? We’re human,” Isabelle said softly, not because others weren’t allowed to know, but it might be a sensitive subject. Dom sighed.  
“I know.” His body language lost the ferocity of moments before and his paws scuffed into the dirt as he strode. His head dipped and his voice grew low and reflective. “Though I sometimes forget.”  
His quietness grew into full on silence, and they walked further that way, trailing behind Alakazam, Charizard and Tyranitar. The latter two were laughing loudly at something Alakazam said.   
“I like being a Pokémon, Izz,” Dominic offered after a few moments of consideration.  
“Me too. But we can’t stay. We have a life as a human we can’t forgot. Friends, family, a job. How long have we been away? A month? I don’t even know anymore. I wonder how time has passed in the real world. We should ask Gardevoir, who got us here. She’ll know.”   
“He,” Dominic corrected.  
“Hm?”   
“Gardevoir is male.”   
“Really?” Izzy sounded surprised. “Didn’t know that. Fair enough. He’ll know how time has passed in our universe.” 

Yet again, when they turned to Pokémon Square, the inhabitants were in state of panic. This was very little new by now. Standing on top of the bank building to be seen and heard better, Xatu stood with his wings spread, much to the Persian banker’s annoyance.   
“The end is near!” Xatu announced, causing many Pokémon to shriek in panic. Similar to the banker Persian, Isabelle had a look of annoyance on her face.  
“Way to spread panic, Xatu,” Dominic growled lowly, before amplifying his voice. “Oi, Xatu! What’s up with you?” He barked loudly. The noise lessened so that Xatu’s answer may be heard.  
“An enormous meteorite is headed for this exact town! It will kill us all!” At Persian’s groan, Xatu elaborated: “It’s true! The Legendary Birds feel its descent onto earth! Their rage is ignited by the impending doom!”  
“What happened to the calm, old coot we met earlier?” Dominic muttered, causing Persian to shrug.   
“Still, it may be true. Wait…” Izzy mumbled, glancing over to the waterfall north of town. She thought she saw a glimpse of something. “Do you trust me?” She asked her mate.  
“With all of my being,” Dominic replied without hesitation.  
Persian nodded and dashed off towards the Whiscash pond. Dominic launched himself into motion after her, bounding along even though it took a few moments to work out where they were going. The bearded fish wasn’t there, but someone else was.   
“Hey! Gardevoir! We were talking about you earlier. How have you been?” Dominic greeted the lithe Pokémon cheerfully.  
“The purpose of your being here has revealed itself,” Gardevoir said. His soft voice was on a higher pitch than Dominic’s growl, and sounded vaguely far away.  
“Is it our purpose to stop this meteorite? That is madness! How could we possibly do that?” Persian shrieked.  
“Wait a minute. Our purpose? You know who brought us here?” Houndoom remarked, making a very good point.   
“I have knowledge of who brought you here, because ‘twas I. You willingly came here when approached with this problem,” Gardevoir replied as the silky folds of his skirt floated as if there was a light breeze.   
“I have no memory of that,” Persian mumbled, crossly.   
“That was an unexpected complication and I sincerely apologise for that. It seems to have made your quest rather obscure, hasn’t it?”   
“You can bloody say that again,” Dominic growled.  
“It has been lovely being Pokémon. Did we choose these forms?” Persian asked. Gardevoir shook his head in response.  
“No. You did not choose these forms. Neither did I. They were meant to be.”   
“So, it was luck?” asked Dominic, with a small grin. He didn’t much believe in fate or destiny, and usually mocked the idea there was something supernatural behind his decisions, or what happened in the world. The soft, knowing smile Gardevoir returned did more than any rebuttal did to convince him otherwise. Although he remained serene there was a small sparkle in his eye, like he knew things that Dominic could not possibly understand. It quietened Dom right down.  
“Not luck. More like… these are the forms that suit you. The forms that, had you been born in this world, you would have been.”   
Persian seemed a little more willing to accept and, between the three of them, there was a moment of silence. It was Isabelle who interrupted it with a small step forward.  
“So, the meteorite. Where do we need to be?”   
“One that might be able to avert impending doom and destruction lives in a tower in the sky, among the clouds themselves. His name is Rayquaza,” came the almost-prophetic answer.  
“Sky Tower? Let’s go, Dom. We have no time to lose!” Isabelle leapt up and together they dashed off, leaving Mightyena behind.   
A little chubby Volbeat hovered above the trees, listening to the conversation. The normally upbeat Pokémon had a grim look on his face and flew in a swaying manner back to the hut, informing his canine housemate, Poochy, of this development.


	27. Sky Tower

Dominic and Isabelle had a long walk to bring them to the base of Sky Tower, but it was largely uneventful. At first they chattered and spoke as they walked but, at a certain point, they started to see the tower before them. That quietened them down.  
Sky Tower was phenomenally tall. The sky was mostly clear, however the very tip of the tower seemed to draw many clouds toward it, where they spun lazily around the peak. More strikingly still, the clouds were drawn down along the rest of the tower in increasingly rapidly twisting spirals. Near the base the tower looked less like a building and more like a furiously whipping tornado, streaking little wisps of cloud in its wake that drifted to nothing. It was a maelstrom near the base, a testament to the power of wind.  
It quietened them as they moved forward, instilled now with a sense of dread. Dancing in the clouds they saw a plethora of the Flying Types who called this tower home, including other Pokémon that could fly or hover, from Fearow and Pigeot to Scizor, Koffing and Aerodactyl. Intermittently they could be seen soaring along the rapid air currents around the edge of the building before slipping back within.   
These flying types were not excited to be where they were. They were squawking, almost screaming. They thrashed to escape the currents and feathers kicked away from them to flutter and then be swept up by the whipping strength of the air.   
Dominic and Izzy shared a quick glance, and ran the rest of the way. What was coming had all the Pokémon of the land frantic with terror and it had fallen to them to plead for the safety of them. They darted up a few steps and into the tower. Pandemonium reigned. The denizens of the tower were frantic, speaking in rapid ways or spinning around in a panic. They didn’t particularly stop Dom or Izzy’s ascent for they seemed much more focussed on their impending end.  
The final of the stone tower’s staircases brought them to a very windy plateau on top of the tower. Glimpses of the entire world could be seen in between the swirling clouds. But no matter how stunning the view, the red comet visible in the sky was their only concern. Its presence instilled fear in their hearts like they had rarely known in their lives, whether human or Pokémon.  
One Pokémon was not as concerned with this development as the quadruplets were. A massive, mechanical snake laid curled up in the middle on the plateau. Its snores were loud enough to be experienced as deep rumbles, like tremors of the earth itself. Against the stark blue sky, the green colour of its armour plates contrasted sharply. It was the mighty Rayquaza, of which only one existed. And this mighty Pokémon was mightily deeply asleep.  
“Figures. The only Pokémon strong enough to take on a comet, compared to a comet himself, and he’s asleep. That’s just brilliant,” Persian groaned. “You’d think these Legendary Pokémon, this guardian deity of the weather, would be more attentive to the needs of the Pokémon he protects. But nope, apparently not.”   
Houndoom snapped against Izzy’s haunch, just enough that his teeth pricked her skin and made her jump. His eyes were hooded with mild disapproval and he shook his head sternly. “You mustn’t talk like that!”  
“What? It’s true. Anyway. I don’t suppose you’ve practiced a good roar, have you? That might wake him. We could attack him, but his armour is super strong and I doubt he’d be pleased with that.  
“Haven’t practiced? Stand back and be ready to be wowed!” Dominic announced, taking a deep breath. The roar that erupted his chest was actually impressive, but Isabelle would not admit this to him. The effect was a little lessened by the proud, beaming grin he briefly gave Isabelle, before the severity of the situation hit him and he remembered to be serious. Some of the bird Pokémon they had encountered on their way up took flight, startled by the sound.   
One yellow eye, surrounded by black, opened at the noise. Rayquaza reared his head and roared so loudly back at Dominic and Isabelle that Persian felt the force of it deeply in her bones, causing her to collapse to the ground. Houndoom stood a little unsteady on his paws. All around them, every single bird Pokémon in the tower had taken flight, terrified of Rayquaza’s roar and anger.  
Dominic shook off the shock of the roar and took a bold step forward, safe in the knowledge his mate was right there with him. He leaned forward and turned his head up to look straight at Rayquaza, refusing to be cowed by more legendary bullies. “Oi! Don’t waste your energy on us; there’s a meteor storming toward this world. Stop that, instead!”  
Rayquaza seemed to be interested that they would stand up to him even after the roar, but apart from slithering around to get a better view of them he didn’t do much more. Persian had found her feet and stepped up alongside Dominic.   
“It’s true. Look up! I’m sure you can sense it, can’t you? If this meteorite hits, your tower will be destroyed as well. The world will fall!” Persian added  
“You can’t let that happen!” Dominic added. They were being listened to, but Rayquaza gave nothing away. “There’s so many Pokémon out there, good people. They need a hero; they need someone to stop the falling chunk of space. They need you.”   
Rayquaza uncoiled himself. He was perhaps a little moved and shifted to look up, through the open ceiling, toward the sky. Toward the distant, but now visible, meteor. A ball of rock firing directly toward them, or so it seemed. He hissed softly. “I cannot, it is too big. It is coming on us too fast.” The idea that he wouldn’t try startled Dominic so much that he was briefly struck by a confusion so deep he couldn’t reply. It fell to Isabelle to push the point.   
“If you don’t, we die. Everyone dies.” Her voice was a low, sensible statement, without much space for emotion in it. “What’s the harm in trying?”   
By contrast, Dominic’s was an overexcitable, furious frenzy. When he managed to stop just snarling and barking in delirious aggravation he spat out words. “You can’t just let it drop! Try, you dumb damn snake, or I’ll throw you at it first. Save us!”   
Rayquaza looked from the meteorite to the two Pokémon. Persian stood, outward calm, regal. Dominic was snarling and taking deep breaths from the intensity of his belief. He looked up to the meteorite, which very slowly grew, and grew, in the sky.  
“I will try,” he agreed. He slithered up toward the roof, floating effortlessly as he departed the room and headed up, soaring, into the air. He was fast and graceful.  
Dominic softened and turned toward Isabelle. He butted her head with his. “I hope this works, Izz… If it doesn’t... well, you were wonderful.”   
Isabelle chuckled. “Our fate lies with the most insecure hero I’ve ever seen. Goodness gracious.” She laid down and curled up against Houndoom’s body. If Rayquaza failed, she wished to be here with Dom when the meteorite hit. 

Rayquaza rose up into the air. He was out of view of the two champions down below, rising to where the air was thin. The rock was clearly visible now, a thick chunk of pitted stone wrapped in a flaming carapace as the atmosphere fought back. He hung there a moment.  
A glow started to emanate from his form. His skin turned from green to silver, to white. It was blinding. As bright, they would say in years to come, as the sun itself. A high, ringing sound shimmered through the air, air which seemed to stop, and draw in toward him, as though he was absorbing the power of it.  
Rayquaza parted his mouth wide. The colour drained from his tip up toward a single point, between his teeth, where it burned like a tiny star before lancing forward. It made most Hyper Beams look like impressive as Magikarp splashing around. The perfectly straight, radiant line hung in the air for a good few seconds, linking the Legendary Pokémon to the distant meteor.

The whole land heard the deep, reverberating crack of the meteor as it broke. Like thunder it boomed across the world, audible just before the meteor shattered into a million pieces. The wide explosion flashed into a blanket of stars that covered the daytime sky, and began to fall as shooting stars.   
Dominic ran a couple of circles, wooping and barking in excitement. Persian watched the beauty above with a small smile, until her mate tackled her down and began ecstatically licking and nuzzling her. “We did it, Izz! Rayquaza did it!”


	28. Jirachi's Wish

Clenching for dear life, Persian and Houndoom rode on the back of Rayquaza’s coil-like body down to Pokémon Square. Even from such a height, it was clear to see many Pokémon had gathered in such a small space. Colours of all kinds mingled, from the deep red of the fire types, to the greens of the grass types. Hoppip, Skiploom, and Jumpluff twirled around in the sky, creating a colourful skyballet. All too soon, Rayquaza had passed on, on their way to Houndoom and Persian’s hut.   
A small round figure awaited them in front of the hut. He did not flinch when the massive sky snake descended and hovered above the ground, waiting for the quadruplets to leap off.   
“Now, if you don’t mind, I would like to go back to sleep,” Rayquaza announced before taking off in such a manner dust clouds obscured everyone’s view and made them cough.   
As soon as the sand had settled, Isabelle rushed forward and rubbed her snout against Firefly’s body in feline affection. His pleased buzzing felt pleasant against her whiskers, but then he backed off with a sad smile on his face.  
“Congratulations,” the Volbeat said. “You’ve completed your mission. The world is safe.” He stretched his tiny arms out to show the stone Izzy had liberated from Ekans. “This is a Wishstone. I am not surprised you own this. Jirachi’s Wish can send you back home.”  
Their friend sounded so sad that Isabelle wanted to comfort him, but Dominic stepped across and nudged against the side of her head to dissuade her. Her affectionate nature made this goodbye much harder. While he felt sorry, too, he understood with a certain clarity that this was the way things had to be. Their time as Pokémon had been magical, but it was only ever a temporary magic.  
“Thank you for everything, Firefly. You are welcome to keep the house, if Pooch agrees.”   
Carrying the glowing stone in her mouth, Isabelle left Firefly in front of what used to be their hut. Her tail dragged over the ground as she followed Dominic. Her mate strode with a purpose, keeping his head high. Whereas Isabelle occasionally let herself be guided by her emotions, Dominic had always been able to see what needs to be done and act accordingly in the case of sadness. With anger, it was the other way around, allowing Isabelle to focus on work instead of the injustice of it all.   
As they casually searched for a quiet spot to summon Jirachi, they reflected on their old lives. It seemed like a lifetime ago that Isabelle had last done a shift at the Pokémon centre. Dominic spoke about wanting to see his family when they got home. He missed his mother, foster father, and most of all his brother, Hal. If the same time has passed there, they must have been worried.   
Pushing through the celebrating crowd, they came onto the main square. The pushy Banker Persian was nuzzling a Vulpix that looked much too young for him behind the counter, causing Isabelle to curl her upper lip in distaste. In the southern part of town, Plusle and Minun were playing happily with Kangaskhan's cub, seemingly having forgotten about Persian. Houndoom rubbed his snout against her head, soothing her. He knew how hard this was for her. 

Together they made their way to the one last destination, but one of the most important. Memory lead them to the Whiscash Pond, where Poochy sat waiting. However this was not Pooch as they’d met him. Instead of the small, brash puppy here stood a tall, proud creature, his chest thrust out and his head high. He was a member of the police force and, wrapped around his head, was a bright red bandana tucked behind his tall ears. The sight of it made Persian so proud. Their little cub had all grown up.   
Dominic padded up first, with Isabelle close by but letting her mate take the lead. Both canines watched each other and for once there was no sign of Mightyena being the younger of the two. They each bowed a little.  
“The time has come,” Dominic said, his voice sombre.  
“I know,” came the reply, just as gently put, but tinged with sadness that Dominic had tried to hide. They took another step toward one another and Dom turned his eyes away. Mightyena ducked his head down to nose Dom’s eyes up and they watched one another.  
“I’ll wear this,” Houndoom said, tossing his head back to try and indicate the bandana wrapped around the top part of it. “As a reminder of you. A tribute that you’re my… Well.” He looked a little bashful all of a sudden and lost the word. This was familiar to Dominic, who headbutted the younger Pokémon to get him off the hook.  
“I know, Pup. I’ll miss you most of all, and think of you often. But I’ve done what I had to do - both for the land, and for you. You’re a big lad, now, and you’ll make me so very proud.”  
The tension between them broke and Mightyena bounded forward like a puppy, tackled Dominic, and for a moment they had a wrestle-come-hug, as canines were wont to do.   
Then Dominic made some room for Isabelle to say goodbye. The feline was much less rough with the cub than Houndoom had been. She licked his head, smoothing his scruffy fur down. Yet no matter how much she tried, it would not lie down smoothly. The same went for Mightyena, in a way. Their little cub was all grown up now and out of their control.   
“Mum,” Pooch complained in a low voice, trying to get away from the grooming.  
“I know, honey. Please take good care of yourself. Remember to bathe, especially after training. No one likes a smelly dog. Keep the hut clean, as well. You never know when you have company over. Always be nice-”   
“Mum!” Mightyena interrupted her.  
“I’m sorry, sweetheart. Take care, and I love you.” She rubbed her head against his and then backed off as a whooshing sound indicated Jirachi had arrived to take back the wish stone she had placed ready. All too soon, to their feeling.  
The great wish master was stood at the side, watching them patiently until their eyes met. One by one the three adventurers bowed their heads, and Dominic and Izzy stepped forward.   
“Is it time?” Dom asked. Jirachi nodded. He turned back to Poochyena and smiled, eyes wet with pride and love, sadness and joy.   
“I’ll miss you, Pup, ‘til we meet again.”   
There was a flash of light, blinding, and when it faded Houndoom and Persian were no longer there. 

As if she had taken an unintentional nap, Isabelle woke up groggily. Her body felt heavy and was slow to move. Because of a pounding headache, she stumbled to the adjoining bathroom, barely registering Dominic asleep on the single bed on the other side of the room.   
The hot water soothed her muscles and for a while, Isabelle simply stood there with her eyes closed, facing up to the shower to feel the water run down her body. The sounds of a door closing and clothing rustling told her Dominic had woken up as well. A breath of cold air washed over her body as the curtain opened and her fiancé stepped in.   
He wrapped his arms around her waist and pressed his lips against her neck, just under her ear.  
“I had the oddest dream,” he murmured. “I was a Houndoom and you were a Persian…” he trailed off.   
She gave a small laugh. “Did we save the world and rode back on a Rayquaza?”   
“Yes! Did you dream the same thing?”   
Isabelle nodded. “It’s almost as if it wasn’t a dream, but that’d be crazy, right? People can’t turn into Pokémon.”   
“On any day, I’d agree, but I am not so sure now. Either way, I am happy to be awake. Where’s that shampoo of yours? That pink bottle… There it is! Cream Puff. I want to do your hair.”  
As he worked his strong hands through her hair, massaging her scalp, all weariness left her. It was good to be back.


End file.
